I Love You, Bro
by delena4eternity
Summary: Damon and Alaric are both hesitant to admit their feelings for each other... who will cave first?
1. Chapter 1

Crystalised

_***This story is going to be just for you Damonfan123! Here's Dalaric so I expect Defan in return!***_

"Hey Ric!"

It was always that same voice, every day before school started. Every single day. It was a routine they had started a few months ago and had for some reason kept going, vampire and hunter bonding. Did that make much sense? That a supposed vampire hunter's best friend was a vampire himself? And not an overly kind one at that? Perhaps not, but Damon _was_ his best friend, and he loved hearing that bright greeting early in the morning, always sneaking up behind him and making him jump a bit. Damon loved doing that, scaring Ric when he was still half asleep, unpacking his papers in the classroom before the students got there. He would hide in the closet, behind the desk, anywhere really, eagerly awaiting that moment when Alaric would yelp or flinch, whipping around with a crazed look in his eye. That was Damon's cue to leap out, either using his supernatural speed to get behind Ric before he saw and grab him from behind or to just slump on the wall arrogantly, choking back laughter. Other times the laughter would just burst forth, loud guffaws until Ric was joining him, laughing at his own stupidity.

These little meetings served to motivate the teacher through the rest of the day listening to bratty high school kids who thought they were tough shit, him knowing in the back of his head that most of them would end up being Mystic Fall's losers and drunken lowlifes. Damon would usually offer to teach them a lesson when they were sharing drinks together, alcohol making him bouncy and ready to fight. That was one thing about Damon; whenever Ric drank he grew more somber and platonic, easing back into his chair, eyes drooping slightly. But when Damon drank, he became as hyper as Ric's students, creating master schemes to get into Elena's pants or piss off his brother. This always made Alaric laugh, seeing Damon's wild drunken behavior. They balanced each other out quite nicely.

When he heard Damon's morning ritual of "Hey Ric!" while pouncing on him from behind, the teacher let out a quick grunt, eyes going wide as they always did. He had to admit that he sometimes exaggerated his reaction a little just for the sake of hearing his best friend's laugh, that genuine and heartfelt laugh. It was so rare, it made it all the more special when Ric drew it out of him.

"Gotcha!" Damon smirked, pressing his canines against Ric's neck, growling fiercely.

"Get the hell off me, Damon!" Ric shouted, pushing the vampire away. The cool fingers left his hips and Damon fell back, snorting hysterically.

"Get's me every time." He chuckled, watching Alaric's annoyed face. And Damon continued to laugh, knowing Ric would come around. And of course he did, his face finally melting into a contagious smile as he began to laugh too, grinning at the mere sight of his friend standing before him. Damon just made his mornings so much more tolerable.

He couldn't help but note how impeccable Damon looked, dressed in dark jeans and a dark blue button-down, the color serving to highlight his pale eyes. How could they be so pale yet so electric at the same time? This was often what Ric thought about during their drinking sessions: Damon's eyes. They drew him in, and in such a stupor he was easily sidetracked. His hair was artfully mussed, an imitation of bedhead that made the strands look oh-so-soft. Alaric often had the urge to reach out his fingers and just touch Damon's hair. He wondered what it would feel like. And of course, his lips were curled into that irresistible smile, crooked and to one side, his head cocked as he gazed right back at Ric.

How the hell did he look so good in the morning? Ric knew that _he_ looked like shit in the morning, having barely enough time to brush his teeth and throw on a t-shirt. How early did Damon get up? Maybe he never went to sleep. Vampires were creatures of the night… but he knew Damon slept. Maybe he just got up early so he would look nice for Ric. This idea was mildly satisfying, but he shook it off knowing that Damon somehow always looked beautiful.

"Hey you big scaredy-cat!" Damon teased, slapping him on the back. "I thought you'd be used to it by now."

"Did you ever think I'm just humoring you?" Ric asked, raising his eyebrows at Damon's shocked expression. Then it melded back to cool confidence.

"Nah. You're not that skilled." Alaric just laughed again, motioning for Damon to sit at one of the desks. Instead he slipped around the teacher, brushing their hands together before plopping down at the large desk up front, placing his feet on it, leaning back casually in the chair, the perfect image of ease and cockiness.

"Damon…" Ric whined, gesturing to the feet on his papers. "Feet off."

"Ah come on! Let loose a little. Have a little fun. I know I did last night…mmm that girl was good." Damon smacked his lips together and licked them, peeking up to see Ric's reaction.

Instead of acting horrified, as he knew he should, he was entranced by Damon's tongue and lips, watching their movements with growing intensity. Oh God, what was wrong with him? Snap out of it! Snap out of it!

Damon was looking at him curiously. "You okay Ric?" He asked with a note of sincere concern. Ric dropped his eyes, embarrassed, muttering a 'yes' and smiling weakly back at the vampire before him.

"You didn't kill her did you?" He questioned, knowing it was the logical next step. This is what Damon had expected him to say first, perhaps with more urgency, but Alaric was fairly certain Damon hadn't killed anyone last night.

"Tempting, but no."

"Exactly what I thought, Damon. If you actually killed someone, you wouldn't come in here to brag about it to me. I don't want to talk about this anymore anyway so find a new topic."

"What about you coming to live with me?" Damon asked.

"Ha ha, very funny." Ric said sarcastically.

"I'm being dead serious. We still haven't caught that new vampire and someone was attacked a few days ago in a town right outside of Mystic Falls. And before you say anything, it wasn't me. He's a sneaky little fellow, that one, and I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"It wasn't even in Mystic Falls Damon! And I'm a hunter. I can fend for myself. I don't need a babysitter." Alaric protested, crossing his arms in front of his chest, glaring down at Damon's angelic face.

"I don't really care what you think Ric. This vampire is a real threat and I- I can't lose anyone else. I… I care about you." Damon said softly, his cheeks turning a bit crimson at this confession. Alaric was touched, knowing how hard it was for Damon to admit his feelings, and was moved to consent with only a few more protests and groans.

A few days later he was settled in the boardinghouse with Stefan and Damon, using the guest bedroom upstairs. The situation was… odd… to say the least. He had escalated from just being friends with vampires to living with them for God's sakes. And Damon wasn't making it easy what with all the blood bags and occasional girls littering the house. He never killed anyone, but it was against Alaric's basic nature to let Damon feed from a live human while he was in the adjoining room, sometimes even sitting right there watching. He thought maybe Damon did it on purpose, fed right in front of him, moaning and slurping, looking up occasionally to smirk at Ric's shocked face. Sometimes he was angry, but sometimes he was intrigued watching Damon lose himself in the ecstasy of the blood, thinking that if he forgot that this was a poor innocent human and Damon a killing monster, that the action was rather beautiful and sensuous.

When Damon saw this look he would smile and make his act even more dramatic, arching his shoulders into it and shuddering as the warm liquid coated his throat. He would let it smear around his face so that upon pulling away he could run his tongue around the contours of his lips, sucking each finger one at a time. Alaric wasn't sure why he did this, though it was becoming strangely enjoyable to watch.

Then one day he was heading to the shower after an intense run, one which Damon had tried to dissuade him from taking, claiming the vamp was still at large, but he insisted and pushed past his friend to open the door and head out. He had been cooped up too long and had to stretch his legs. Also, he had been feeling really weird lately. Every time he looked at Damon he couldn't help but stare at his beauty, and long to rake his fingers over the firm flesh, or whatever it was vampires had in place of flesh.

If this wasn't disturbing enough, Ric began to mentally undress him, picture Damon, his best friend, without a shirt, heck, without pants too. He was just so damn sexy, so irresistible. What would it be like to kiss him, to brush their lips together for the briefest of seconds… he could pretend it was an accident, run into him and somehow force their lips together… what the hell was he thinking? This was wrong, just plain wrong… and yet it seemed right, so right.

He needed to get his shit straight. Stupid vampires and their seductive crap. Just run you idiot and stop fantasizing about kissing your best friend. Run!

And that's how he had made it to the shower that day, sweaty and frustrated, grumbling about that pretty black haired creature living a mere two rooms down from him, sucking him into a whirlwind of feelings he wasn't prepared for.

….

He loved to play with Alaric Saltzman, anger him with excessive feeding and creep up on him when he was at his most vulnerable. For some reason Damon especially enjoyed bringing a beautiful woman into the room where he sat, feeding from her as sexily as possible. And yet the man had no response. Except perhaps for disapproval at Damon's feeding habits. It was infuriating!

And then the shower incident had occurred.

A wonderfully sweaty Alaric appeared literally out of nowhere, grumbling about something or other, before colliding with a nearly naked Damon right at the door to enter the bathroom. Damon smelled the scent of his best friend right away and leaned down to sniff him instinctually. Alaric smelled delicious. Amazingly delicious. Mouth-wateringly delicious. The sweat only served to intensify the aroma, and Damon held Ric's shoulders steady, keeping him from falling, before leaning into his neck and breathing him in.

"Ric, you smell simply delicious today, you know that?" Damon moaned into his ear, his lips brushing the lobe, his hot breath hitting Alaric's skin with a tingling sensation. He was painfully aware of their bodies pressed against each other, of his near nudity. And before he knew it Alaric had gripped his face and pressed their lips together.

Hold up.

Was Alaric Saltzman kissing him? Like, really kissing him? Immediately Damon pushed him off, staring at the man with incredulity. He slowly put his fingers to his lips, looking to Ric for some sort of explanation. And then suddenly he burst into cackles, pointing to Damon's astounded face, now twisted in anger.

"Now _I_ got _you_!" He said triumphantly. "You should've seen your face, it was priceless!"

Damon finally forced a grin, nodding at him, exchanging a few words before turning on his heel and leaving the room. He heard the shower start and leaned on the wall in relief. He once again put his fingers to his lips, tracing the places where Alaric's mouth had been.

That was the moment he finally realized he was in love with his best friend.

…

Dammit dammit dammit!

Had he seriously just kissed Damon Salvatore? Mistake…. Very bad mistake…

He had tried desperately to laugh it off, acting as if it was all a joke, but he was afraid his eyes told all: that kiss was fucking awesome!

Making it to the shower he slumped down in defeat. Damon would never want him in this way. It was unnatural and he didn't want to ruin their friendship. But still…

This was the first moment Alaric really knew how much he loved and wanted Damon Salvatore.


	2. Chapter 2: Deliver Me

Deliver Me

_*** Thanks to those who reviewed and those who follow/favorite this story. There will be more to come, so please review and enjoy!***_

Things just got awkward. Plain awkward. Being in love with your best friend could supposedly do that to you, but still, Alaric had hoped that he and Damon could forget about the kiss, pretend it had never happened. That was pretty stupid, though, for how could he expect Damon to forget when he himself couldn't stop thinking about it for more than a few minutes? The feel of Damon's lips on his own was… surreal, to say the least. It was everything he had thought it would be and more, surpassing any and all expectations. And Damon's naked chest pressed against him, the feel of his sharp hips beneath Alaric's firm grip was the stuff of dreams.

Sadly, they now lived together, if only temporarily. This made avoiding each other difficult. And because they were trying to keep things normal, avoiding each other wasn't on the list, yet seeing too much of each other could result in uncomfortable silences where both knew exactly what the other was thinking about. They still hadn't discussed that pivotal moment right outside of the bathroom, one they _shared_ for Christ's sakes. The topic was strictly taboo, only increasing the awkward feeling between the two.

The morning following the incident Ric had prepared for school as usual, getting there too late with eyes drooping and mind still in the realm of sleep. And Damon had kept with his normal routine of startling Ric as soon as he entered the room, materializing in front of him and pretending to attack, pressing his extended fangs against Ric's neck, breathing in his scent. And then he remembered. Ric had smelled so good yesterday, and still did today, completely and utterly delicious! He let his eyes close and his body lean in closer, inhaling deeply at Ric's collarbone, resting his head at the base of his neck.

"God Ric! You… smell… fucking… good…" Damon moaned, his lips caressing Alaric's shoulder as he talked. Somehow the teacher's hands found their way to Damon's head, brushing up the side until they reached hair, running through the fine strands in a natural rhythm.

He was actually touching Damon's hair! He had wanted to do this since… well… since they first met, actually. Especially when they had been kissing. And now he was finally given the opportunity! But then he felt the vampire stiffen and he realized what this must look like: Damon's head on his shoulder, lips moving around the skin there, bodies pressed together tightly, with Ric's fingers stroking delicately through Damon's raven hair. This was a very intimate position, one that was all too reminiscent of last night…

Quickly Damon moved away and cracked a smile, Ric's hands still raised in the air, grasping at nothing. He pulled them back down to his sides as nonchalantly as possible, both of them laughing as was their custom. But this laugh was somewhat forced and sheepish, a 'that wasn't what it looked like' kind of laugh. One that reeked of embarrassment and self-consciousness. And things only got worse from there.

They would just be sitting in the living room together, watching some TV, when Alaric would steal a glance over at Damon, wanting to see that beautiful profile. Then he would get lost in Damon's face and find out that Damon had discovered him a while ago and they were now staring directly into each other's eyes, and had been doing so for some time. The prolonged gazes were another source of unease, and they would hasten to look away, only to peek back over several moments later.

If they ever touched each other, accidentally or on purpose, there was this strange tingly feeling that made Damon snatch his hand back as if Alaric had some sort of infectious disease. Ric felt it too but seemed more eager to feel it again, almost looking hurt when Damon would inch away from him, not wanting.

Then there was the issue of Damon's affinity for walking around shirtless. It seemed that no matter where Alaric was, he was bound to run into Damon's bare chest at least once a day. This was especially irritating when the mere sight of his face made Ric go hard with desire. The things his body did to him were best kept behind closed doors lest Damon notice.

But perhaps the most mortifying of all was when he would walk in on Damon having sex with another female, beautiful in all his naked glory. Thank God this only happened once, because he had just stood there, enraptured, watching the hard planes of Damon's back flex, arching up and down, his face twisted in pleasure. Then Damon had noticed him and they stared for a few moments, Damon's eyes trailing down Alaric's body before throwing a pillow at him, yelling playfully to either join the fun or get out. Of course, Alaric had sped out of that room as quickly as possible before collapsing in a pile of lust and hunger. And the hunger was not for food. It was for his best friend.

…...

Damon was having a hard time dealing with these newfound feelings. Whenever he closed his eyes all he could see was Ric, and if he dreamed, the man was there as well. That face was inescapable! Damon just knew that Ric couldn't possibly feel the same about him, and so he attempted to keep his hidden desires to himself. It was becoming increasingly difficult, though, what with the teacher moving in across the hall. He could smell him in the shower especially, and Damon was tormented by it, picturing in great detail the warm water flowing over the bare skin, trickling down over his…

Oh God… this was bad. Very bad. There was no way Ric didn't notice Damon's infatuation, for he was always catching Damon staring at him, licking his lips in desire. All he could think about was the pressure of Alaric's lips on his own, so much softer than he had dared imagine, the feeling of his hands grasping his hips, drawing him in. It had been good. The best, really. But it was wrong, so wrong. Alaric was his best friend… he couldn't risk ruining their relationship over some silly schoolgirl crush. But it felt like so much more than that! They had an electric connection, Damon was sure of it! But he was also sure that Ric wanted no part in his sexual fantasies, preferring to stick to mortal women. Two strikes.

Now whenever Ric so much as laid a finger on him Damon cringed away, putting as much distance between them as possible. If Alaric was that close, there was no telling what Damon might do… probably something embarrassing like grabbing his fingers and licking them one by one. He had always wanted to lick Ric's skin, every inch of it, before licking right up his stiff cock…

Shit. These thoughts had to stop. Hence why he had to keep some distance between them, some flimsy semblance of normalcy. The hurt look in Ric's eyes when he moved away was worth it to never have to see the disgusted one that was sure to ensue when he learned that his best friend wanted to fuck him… bad. Damon had never felt this way about a man before and was pretty confused himself, actually.

And that morning after... another mistake. He had basically been making out with Ric's shoulder! Leaning against his body and pressing in close to feel the warmth that was often lacking in his dead flesh. If this had happened before the fateful kiss, everything would have seemed innocent and fine, but in light of his new feelings, Damon realized the intimacy and hastily backed off, grinning in that embarrassed way that made it obvious he now saw something more in the embrace, that he liked it a little too much. Liked Ric a little too much.

And then, as if that wasn't bad enough, Damon had tried to get his mind off Ric by indulging in another guilty pleasure: sex and blood with random sorority girls. It always did the trick, so he brought one home, a very pretty girl with brown hair and blue eyes, maybe a little too innocent, but oh well. All the better to corrupt.

He had taken her to his room and fed decently, compelling her not to be afraid and all the other necessities, thinking in the back of his mind that if this was Ric, none of these formalities would be needed. They could just make love consensually, and Ric would extend his neck, inviting Damon to drink and actually liking it, begging for more… but back to the matter at hand. The girl began to suck his dick and he gasped, moaning at the pleasure, all the while imagining Ric's head between his legs, Ric's tongue stroking up and down, his cheeks sucking hard… oh for the love of God stop thinking about your best friend!

But as he came, it was Alaric. It was always Alaric. And when he was taking her hard from above, trying so desperately to enjoy her breasts against his chest, her sweet face in ecstasy beneath him, all he wanted was Ric's muscular torso, firm chest and light brown hair flopping in his blue eyes, a slight stubble dotting his strong jaw and carved cheeks. Ugh. These images were pushing him to the edge for a second time, and he was really hoping to avoid coming to mental images of a man, especially not Alaric, but it was inevitable.

"Oh Riiiic," Damon moaned as he spilled inside the oblivious girl, picturing what Alaric's face would look like during sex… probably still hot. Then he noticed that very man standing in the doorway, staring down at Damon's naked ass in shock.

Oh shit. Had he heard Damon calling his name? That would be mortifying.

"Hey, get out of here! Can't you see I'm busy? Unless, of course, you want to join…" Damon smirked, throwing a pillow at Ric's retreating form, praying to anyone who cared to listen that the teacher had not just heard his moaning, also secretly hoping he'd choose the "join" option. Alas, he all but sprinted from the room, leaving Damon alone with his poor substitute.

And that about summed up all the horrors that had been the past few days.

…...

Ric awoke the next morning after a restless sleep. He hadn't had a good night in ages due to all the Damon fantasizing he was doing, especially in his dreams. With a heavy sigh he rolled out of bed and trudged to the shower, turning on hot water and heading down to make some coffee.

He rubbed his eyes groggily, looking around at the big dark rooms that always seemed more cold and empty when he was the only one up. Damon wasn't even there, for he had probably crashed after partying all night. Typical Damon. Stefan preferred to hunt early on, before school, so that the cravings weren't too overwhelming. That left Ric all alone in the imposing mansion, an ominous feeling washing over him. He tried to shake it off, but all the way to school he was antsy, jumping at the slightest noise.

Upon entering the classroom, Ric was really starting to freak out. He swore he heard footsteps, and all he could do was hope and pray they were Damon's. But his best friend hadn't been visiting him in the mornings recently, pretending to be too tired or busy. Of course Alaric knew that it was the kiss that kept him away, the newfound uncomfortable quality in their relationship, but he still held on to the possibility that Damon had gotten over it and this was his idea of a joke.

"Damon?" Ric asked tentatively when he heard two very distinct footsteps rather close by.

"Try again," a menacing voice growled from the shadows.

Alaric raced for his desk drawer to pull out one of his weapons but was too late, the vampire already pinning him to the wall.

"The name's Adrian."

…

"Where the fuck is he Stefan?" Damon yelled, kicking at furniture and looking overall murderous.

"Calm down Damon, I'm sure we can figure this out. Just stop ranting for a few seconds and let's think this through."

"He doesn't show up to school with no excuse? Is nowhere to be found, disappeared? And you expect me to be calm?" Damon cried, eyes wide and slightly crazed.

"If you want to find him, then yes." Stefan said reasonably.

"It has to be that new vamp… it has to be! But who is he…" Damon's voice trailed off as he appeared to be deep in thought.

"Think brother. Anyone you've pissed off recently? A random killer with no vendettas wouldn't take Alaric of all people. Too much of a coincidence. "

Damon tried to think about that, but all he could picture was Ric, _his_ Ric, being tortured by some vicious vampire, being drained of blood. He couldn't let himself think that Ric might be dead.

"Oh my God! It's Adrian!" Damon yelled, smacking his forehead at his own stupidity.

"Who the hell's Adrian?"

"One of Bree's friends. Told me he'd get revenge. Eternity of misery and all that, kind of like I did with you."

"Oh, really. I wonder how that feels, having a vampire hell-bent on killing everyone important to you. Must suck." Stefan said, narrowing his eyes at Damon's frazzled form.

"Really Stefan? In the middle of a crisis you're holding grudges?" Damon said, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Now seriously, what's the plan? How are we going to kill him?"

"Slow down now. Who said anything about killing anyone? We have to find him first anyway."

"We can't have evil Alaric-snatching vamp running around Mystic Falls after we save Ric. Death is the only option. And Bonnie will have to do a locater spell to pinpoint exactly where he is."

"Okay Damon. I'm in." Stefan said, sighing and nodding his head in resignation. Another Salvatore brothers mission. "But I can't help but wonder: who's Bree and what'd you do to piss off this 'Adrian' so much?"

…

Bonnie was in the Salvatore mansion arranging candles around Ric's hairbrush, getting ready to perform the spell that would tell where he was. She hated to help vampires but if her magic was going to help kill one and save a human being, she wouldn't hesitate to try. Meanwhile, Damon was relating to Stefan how this whole problem came about.

"Bree was a witch I knew back in the day. We had a short little romance, if that's what you want to call it."

"Of course you did." Stefan said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey now! Don't judge! Anyway, when I took Elena to Georgia we stayed at Bree's bar and I tried to get her to tell me how to open the tomb to release Katherine. She sent Lexi's boyfriend after me to kill me because Lexi was her friend." At the mention of Lexi, Stefan bristled, eyes conveying more sadness and a hint of malice directed at Damon. "Elena helped me and the dude let me go. When I returned to Bree she couldn't help me and I killed her. Apparently she had a boyfriend too, a vampire one, and he showed up a while ago promising revenge and whatnot. Said his name was Adrian."

"And you didn't think to, oh I don't know, warn someone about said vampire coming to Mystic Falls to wreak havoc in the name of revenge for you?" Stefan asked incredulously.

"Well I didn't think the guy was being serious! It's been months and months since then and nothing ever happened!" Damon defended, crossing his arms and glaring at Stefan. He didn't want to admit that Ric was gone because of him, that in his vain attempts to "save" that bitch Katherine he had indirectly contributed to the capture of his best friend.

"I've got it guys." Bonnie called, shutting them both up.

"Well then? Where is he?" Damon demanded, tapping his foot in irritation. Every extra second could be another second ticking off Ric's life.

"He's in the forest right here." Bonnie replied, ignoring Damon's impatience. "In the old Lockwood Cellar." But when she and Stefan looked up, Damon was already gone, having sped off immediately.

"He really cares about him, doesn't he?" Bonnie asked curiously, tilting her head to glance at Stefan.

"Yea, he does." Stefan said softly, gazing at the still-swinging door in wonder.

….

Damon approached the cellar after mere moments, using his vampire speed to its full potential so that his feet barely touched the ground while running. He instantly smelled blood and recognized it as Ric's, eliciting a deep growl from his throat, a purely instinctual vampiric noise issued as a threat to Adrian who he heard at the base of the stairs.

"Come on down Damon and see what's become of your friend." Adrian said ominously, a smirk evident in his voice

"I swear to God, if you've harmed him in any way you're dead." Damon warned, sprinting down the steps, past the other vampire and into the main area of the cellar.

And there was Ric, bloodied and unconscious.

Damon didn't even hesitate. He went into a frenzy, turning on Adrian immediately and clawing, snapping his jaws viciously and punching him repeatedly in the face. The other vampire had not been prepared for this reaction, expecting Damon to rush over to Ric, who was still bleeding, and try to help him. But no. Instead, Damon had turned into a wild animal, shredding Adrian's skin like paper and beating him to a pulp.

Biting into the vampire's neck Damon drank greedily, tasting remnants of Ric's blood, sweet and fragrant. Oh no! Ric! Damon quickly sat up and glanced over at his friend, seeing him in dire condition.

"I'll give you the same treatment as your little girlfriend Bree. A merciful death you undeserving son of a bitch." And with that Damon plunged his hand into the man's chest, ripping his heart out in one fluid motion before throwing it on the ground in disgust. He let Adrian drop and stood up, whizzing over to Alaric as he heard Stefan descending the stairs a few moments too late, not that he'd needed any help anyway.

He sighed in relief as he heard Ric's heartbeat and breath, however faint it might be. He was alive. Appraising the damage Damon was outraged, inspecting the bruises covering every square inch of Alaric's body, the cuts and scratches oozing blood and the bite marks deep and painful. He could tell Ric was almost drained, minimal blood left inside his pale body, and Damon became frantic, realizing that his heart was close to giving out.

"Come on buddy, drink up." Damon urged, pressing his slit wrist to Alaric's mouth, cradling the back of his head gently, careful not to hurt him further. But Ric didn't respond, didn't suck at the blood, only laid there limp, head lolling to the side.

"You're okay, you're fine." Damon said hurriedly, stroking the man's hair, listening in a panic as his heart slowed so much it was barely beating anymore, so faint that even with vampire hearing he could barely catch it.

"Is he…?" Stefan asked, gazing from afar, voicing that dreaded question: is he dead?

"Shut up Stefan! Of course he isn't…" Damon gulped, voice unsteady. "dead. He'll be fine in a few minutes, that's all."

But he wasn't. Stefan felt awkward just standing there, but he didn't want to go any closer and he didn't want to leave, so he just stayed, watching as Damon poured his blood down Ric's throat, forcing him to swallow. He noticed painfully that Ric wasn't wearing his ring.

Then Damon, keeping his wrist in Alaric's mouth, began to lick his wounds, ultimately healing them. For some reason, this felt intimate and Stefan became unsure, feeling like an intruder but at the same time concerned and entranced by what was conspiring down in this cellar. Damon continued his licking until all the bleeding had stopped and Ric's skin was once again perfect and unmarred but still unawakened, still lifeless and limp in Damon's arms.

Then Damon began to kiss him. Not wounds this time, just skin, kissing Ric's cheeks and arms, all over his body, and Stefan was almost sure he saw Ric shudder as Damon's lips ghosted over his earlobe, caressing his right bicep. And then Stefan was sure of it, seeing the teacher's eyelids flutter when Damon kissed each finger individually, possibly licking his tongue up the length of each one, though Stefan could never be sure.

And then Ric moaned an audible sound as he shifted his body, moving it into Damon's lips as he moved them to Ric's own lips, pressing down lightly before looking him in the face as his eyes finally opened slightly, looking around, confused.

"Damon? What the hell are you doing here?" Ric asked gruffly, squinting as he tried to remember what had just happened.

"Ric!" Damon shouted gleefully, almost childlike. He looked like he might cry, but Stefan knew his big brother would never cry so he just crushed his best friend to his chest, encompassing him in a giant bear hug. "I thought I'd never see you again." Damon murmured, planting a few small kisses along Ric's neck before pulling back to look at him, study him and make sure there were no residual bruises or bitemarks.

Alaric managed a weak smile, heartfelt and sincere as he realized that Damon had saved him from certain death with that other vamp, Adrian, or whatever his name was. He studied Damon back, snickering at his appearance: shirt torn to shreds, face and body covered in blood, dirt, and sweat, hair in a state of complete disarray. Damon couldn't help it. He placed another small kiss on Ric's lips, just so happy to see him alive, depositing some blood on Ric's mouth in the process.

"Well hello to you too." The teacher grinned before passing out again.

…

After forcing some more vampire blood down his throat Damon picked up his best friend, bridal style, and carried him back to the boardinghouse, despite Ric's protests that he could walk perfectly fine. He placed the man in his bed and covered him up, making him as comfortable as possible, before sitting on the edge and patting his knee, gazing down at him affectionately.

"I thought I was going to lose you today." Damon said softly, squeezing the other man's thigh.

"Yeah, well I heard you out there fighting with that Adrian and it sounded pretty intense. I thought you were dead! I never knew _you_ could make such… feral sounds." Ric said, smirking mischievously and chuckling at Damon's suddenly angry face.

"I'm a vicious vampire and don't you forget it! I killed you once!" Damon growled playfully, laughing with Alaric.

"I beg to differ." Ric said, peeking up at Damon's amused face. "With all those kisses, one would think you were going soft."

At this Damon's face paled. Ric remembered that? He had been awake then? Oh shit. His cover was surely blown now. That had been downright embarrassing.

"You remember that?" Damon said through clenched teeth, cocking his head at Ric.

"Of course I do! Just 'cause I couldn't move yet doesn't mean I couldn't still feel."

"Oh. Right. Well. I'm really hungry from all the blood I gave you so I need something to eat. And I need to clean off, get a shower." Damon said, motioning to his soiled, bloody body and torn clothes.

"I can help." Ric said, smiling invitingly.

"What?" Damon asked, confused. Had he just offered to help him get a shower?

"I mean feed. You can drink from me if you want something fresh." Ric said, blushing. Damon stared longingly at Alaric's neck, visualizing the hot blood passing into his mouth, the ecstasy, how good Ric had tasted even through the diluted vampire blood, the feel of his succulent neck beneath his swirling lips and probing tongue. He wanted nothing more. But feeding was extremely erotic. He'd probably have Ric's clothes off before he was done and he'd already had enough embarrassing physical affection for one day.

"Nah. I'm trying to cut back." Damon muttered, walking out of the room before he changed his mind.

….

"Hey, how's Ric?" Stefan asked as Damon walked into the living room looking exasperated, raking his hands through his wet hair.

"Good, Stefan. But that's not the problem."

"Elaborate please. Are you saying we have another killer on the loose?"

"My feelings for Ric…" Damon trailed off, staring at his shoes, kicking imaginary dirt.

"Are you talking about how you, um, basically ravaged his entire body with your mouth earlier and moan his name in your sleep?" Stefan asked casually.

"I think I'm in love with him, Stefan."


	3. Chapter 3: Freaking Out

Freaking Out

_***Hello once again! Sorry if this update came a little later than expected but hopefully I can get back on track now that summer's started. I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed the last chapter and those of you who favorited or are now following my story. Every review makes me more motivated so please read and review!Enjoy!***_

"I think I'm in love with him, Stefan." Damon confessed, cheeks turning bright crimson for the umpteenth time today. He didn't know exactly why he was spilling his guts to Stefan, of all people, but it felt good to say it, finally release that pent up emotion and just voice it out loud: He loved Ric. Of course, he realized what would probably happen. Stefan was his brother, and therefore had all rights to mock and make fun of him, though he would probably be happy to hear Damon wasn't pursuing Elena anymore. Nevertheless, Damon Salvatore didn't fall in love with just anybody, especially not his male best friend. But he had. And so he blushed and looked at the ground, awaiting Stefan's laughter, ridicule, whatever was to come as punishment for his recent admissions.

But Stefan only gave a simple "I know," not a trace of humor in his eyes, merely acceptance and a hint of something else… possibly pity? Sympathy?

"You know? Since when?" Damon asked incredulously, staring up at Stefan with surprise. Oh God, was it really that obvious?

"A few weeks." Stefan shrugged as if it was no big deal, like this was completely normal.

"How?" Damon pried, wondering what had tipped Stefan off to his feelings.

"Well, with vampire hearing it wasn't really that hard. I might've heard you moaning his name while you were with that girl the other day."

"Eww, gross! You were listening to me have sex? Shame on you, Stefan." Damon tsked, smirking at his little brother, relaxing slightly as it appeared Stefan wasn't going to make fun of his infatuation with the mortal man in the room upstairs.

"I try really hard not to but you're so damn loud! Do you know what it's like to live in the same house as you? Thanks to you all my innocence is lost." Stefan shot back, returning Damon's smirk.

"Can't blame me for that one, Steffy." Damon grinned. "You lost it a long time ago." But he couldn't help but worry at Stefan's words. He was really that loud? Had Ric heard? He remembered that the man recalled the kisses from the Lockwood Cellar and gave a little shudder of embarrassment. He hoped to God Ric didn't guess at his feelings, but maybe he had already figured it out. That would explain his weird behavior this week…

"Hey Stefan? You don't think Ric knows, do you? I mean, could he have heard? Could he have guessed?" Damon asked, steering the conversation back to a more serious topic. He was wringing his hands and pacing the floor with a nervousness Stefan had never known his brother to possess, amazed at how much it seemed that Damon actually… _cared_.

"I doubt it." Stefan replied, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "I mean, the man doesn't exactly have vampire hearing. And I know you better than anyone on this planet. We've been brothers for over 150 years now, so I know when something's up. I've only seen you in love a few times, so I knew that's what this was when I saw how you looked at him, how you touched him and acted around him. The actual hard evidence like the kissing and stuff was only backing up what I already knew to be true just from watching you."

"God, am I really that transparent?" Damon sighed, putting his face in his hands. Being in love sucked the vast majority of the time, he knew from experience. It seemed like this time would be no different.

"Only to me." Stefan smiled, pulling Damon in for a hug. To his utter shock, he accepted, putting his head on Stefan's shoulder and wrapping his arms around his back.

"You know, I'm glad I've got a brother like you. Sometimes." Damon said, smiling a little despite his anxiety.

"And I'm glad I've got a brother like _you_… sometimes." Stefan replied releasing Damon from his grip and giving him a smile of his own.

"But what the hell am I going to do? I can't stop thinking about him and I don't want to creep him out! He can't know I feel this way… I don't want to lose him." Damon decided. "But then again, I don't know if I can control myself. He just smells so fucking good! I just want to… God, I just wanna lick him!" Damon suddenly cried.

"Maybe you should talk to him. You might be surprised by what Ric has to say." Stefan advised, thinking about the way he saw Ric looking at Damon too. He didn't know the man as well as his brother, but he had a hunch Alaric liked Damon as more than just a friend. Not that he was some relationship guru or anything.

"I don't think so. He would just be disgusted. And even if he wasn't, things would never be the same between us again. Just promise me you won't tell him, alright?" Damon asked, hoping that he could really trust his brother to keep this secret. If Ric ever found out…

"Of course. Just think about talking to him, though, okay? Don't do anything you're not comfortable with, but it's probably better he finds out that way than if you lose control and end up licking his face off."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. I'll think about it." Damon said, if only to appease Stefan. He really had no intentions of saying anything at all to Ric about these entirely inappropriate feelings. "Thanks again."

"Anytime!" Stefan said, knowing that Damon wasn't going to take his advice. Oh well, he'd just have to find out for himself how Ric was feeling…

….

Damon walked back into Ric's room, smiling to see that he was sound asleep, facial expression one of complete serenity and peace. He acknowledged somewhere in the back of his mind that this behavior would probably be considered strange and suspicious, but he didn't really care, sitting on the edge of the bed and staring at his friend affectionately.

Stefan was right. He probably would end up licking the poor guy's face off, or something equally as horrifying. Seeing as he was watching him sleep right now, things were already getting off on the wrong foot. Normal friends did not watch while their other friend slept, softly running their fingers up their leg. No, that was admittedly not a normal friend behavior.

But Damon continued doing it anyway smiling at the expression on Ric's face, so euphoric in dreams, and his mess of brown hair, sticking out at odd angles on the pillow, which Damon began to stroke with much care, trying not to wake him. He then took a leap of faith and leaned in to place a feathery kiss right on Ric's lips, so light that there was no way Ric could awaken because of it. He was wrong.

"Damon?" He heard Ric murmur, turning over, eyelids fluttering. And just like that Damon was out of the room and in the other end of the house, breathing heavy and mind shouting a constant stream of curse words.

Shit, fuck, dammit! He was so stupid! Alaric's presence must have taken away all of his common sense because what the hell had he been thinking?!

Maybe avoiding Ric altogether was the only way to go.

….

Ric's eyes slowly opened as he groped around for a body that wasn't there, searching wildly for the firm flesh that had so recently been in his arms. Reality sucked. If only he hadn't woken up from that dream… it had been heaven. Damon had leaned in to kiss him, admitting that he really did love him as more than a friend, and heated kissing and caressing had ensued. As the dream went on things became naughtier and naughtier until, well, you know… things happened.

Ric sighed and rubbed his eyes, slightly disappointed. The final kiss, just a slight brush on his lips, barely detectable, had seemed so real it was almost scary. How much he wanted it to be real was almost scarier.

Then the memories came flooding back: Damon's panic when he was lifeless in his arms, forcing that delicious blood down his throat, kissing all over his body, until kissing him right on the lips, just like in his dream. If he hadn't been in so much pain, that would have been heaven too.

And it would be so easy to accept those kisses as something more, as an indication of romantic love, but Ric knew that wasn't the case. They had been in a moment of pure terror and heartbreak, but romantic they were not. He knew Damon too well, realizing that was his way of showing he cared, his desperate attempts to get Ric to awaken, not expressions of a deep and undying love. He knew Damon cared about him greatly as a friend and would have been freaking out had he thought Alaric might die or was even in harm's way, hence the brutal yet swift killing of that bastard Adrian.

Or at least, that's how Alaric explained the lips on his limp form, on his neck, on his mouth, because he couldn't let himself think for even a second, not even hope, that Damon returned his feelings of lust and love. No, that was unthinkable. If he let himself believe it he would do something stupid like kiss him again and ruin everything, and that would be inexcusable. He couldn't entertain these overly optimistic notions when he was sure Damon didn't, couldn't, feel that way about him. It just wouldn't make sense, considering everything he knew about the vampire. He loved Elena, had always loved Elena. Goddamn that girl! Ric loved her to bits but he wished she would stop leading Damon along. He knew she intended on staying with her beloved Stefan and was just keeping Damon hanging on by a thread. She just wouldn't let him go.

But it didn't matter anyway, because Elena or no Elena, Damon didn't like Ric in that manner. And Ric wasn't planning on revealing his own feelings. Ever.

…..

"Hey Stefan." Ric said, walking into the kitchen with a loud yawn, stopping to stretch his arms along with the rest of his aching body. God he was sore! Where was Damon with more of that healing blood?

"Sorry, Damon just left to feed, but is there anything I can do for you?" Stefan said, as if reading his mind.

"Nah, that's okay, I was just going to get something to eat." Ric replied, shuffling over to the cabinets to pull out a bowl, spoon, and some brand of cereal that had little granola pieces in it, before proceeding to the refrigerator where he got some OJ and milk. He didn't even know what time of day it was, but breakfast always sounded like a good idea.

He sat down at the table and poured a bowl of the unknown cereal with milk and a glass of the orange juice, shoveling the contents in his mouth hungrily. It was surprisingly satisfying and he poured a second bowl after finishing the first in a matter of minutes. He was so focused on the food before him that he didn't even notice when Stefan sat down in the opposite chair with a mug of steaming coffee until he started to speak.

"So, Ric… how are you feeling?" Stefan asked with a smile, apparently attempting to make small talk, something Alaric really wasn't in the mood for. He knew the brown-haired vampire was trying to be nice, so he returned the smile.

"A lot better, though I'm still a little sore." Ric said, wincing and rubbing his neck as if to reinforce the statement.

"Yeah, that usually happens, especially after drinking so much vampire blood." Stefan assured, nodding sympathetically at the human pain he couldn't really understand anymore.

The teacher just smiled again and returned to his bowl, not exactly sure what else to say, settling instead for an uncomfortable silence. Not that it was really _that_ awkward, he just didn't know why Stefan was still sitting there as if he wanted to say something else, or wanted Ric to say something else. He had never been as close to the younger brother as he was to the older one, considering Stefan was his student and didn't have as much of a drinking habit as Damon. They had never progressed to the point of ease with which Ric and Damon talked, despite liking the guy well enough.

"I want you to know that I really care about my brother, okay?" Stefan finally blurted out looking a stunned Ric straight in the eye. Where the hell was this coming from?

"Yeah… okay." Ric finally said, feeling slightly unnerved at the sudden outburst. Where was this conversation going…?

"So… I just wannna know… do you like him?" Alaric was taken aback by this question, and he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Like him how? Did Stefan know something?

"Ummm… of course I like him. I mean, he's my best friend!" He answered, suspecting this was not what Stefan meant.

"I know you care about him. But do you, you know, _like_ him like him?" Stefan prodded. At this point, Alaric was stunned, having no idea what to say. If he told Stefan the truth he would probably tell Damon… but maybe he could convince him to keep this a secret. How did he know all this anyway?

"What are you insinuating, exactly?" He asked suspiciously, stalling.

"C'mon, you know what I mean!" Stefan said, exasperated. "Do your feelings surpass those of friendship? It's okay to tell me, I won't tell Damon, I just want to know for the sake of everyone involved here. It's perfectly alright to be… attracted to him."

"Alright, fine! Of course I'm attracted to him! I keep dreaming about him and after kissing him everything's turned all weird and I want to kiss him again but I think he'll be disgusted by me so I'm trying to keep myself under control but I really like him and want to touch him and I'm afraid our entire friendship, which I value greatly, is going to go to hell if Damon ever finds out how I feel, okay? Happy now?" Ric said, allowing all the words he had wanted to say for days now erupt out of his mouth like lava, spewing into the air with such force that Stefan actually leaned back a couple inches. It did feel good to finally admit everything out loud, but now that there was another person who knew his secret, it was going to be that much harder to keep quiet. His situation wasn't aided by the fact that Stefan just sat there staring at him with this shocked expression on his face, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open.

"You kissed him?" He asked stupidly after a long while of just looking at Ric with wonder and a tinge of amusement.

"Hell yeah I did! And it was fucking awesome!" He exclaimed, emotions on overdrive after his long confession. Stefan couldn't help but snicker at this one, covering his mouth with a hand to try to muffle the noises, but Ric just glared at him. "Shut up! It was a big mistake anyway. I played it off as a joke, of course, but I think Damon must've seen right through me because things have been off ever since. Every time we touch he cringes away from me and he's always averting his eyes, never looking right at me." Stefan knew the real reason Damon was acting this way, but damn, he had promised not to tell Ric. This was getting complicated. Should he tell?

No, he decided, his brother had trusted him enough to confess his deepest inner feelings, so he shouldn't break that promise, and he couldn't break his promise to Ric either. He'd have to keep both of their secrets, even though each would be elated to hear what the other had to say.

"I wouldn't sweat over it too much, Ric." Stefan advised. "I'm sure that's not why Damon's acting this way. I know he has other things on his mind. But maybe you should talk to him, you know, tell him what you just told me." Alaric just looked at Stefan like he was crazy, shaking his head, incredulous.

"Are you kidding me? He would never talk to me again! Telling him is out of the question. No, I'll just have to get over it or ignore it, one or the other. Thanks anyway, though." Ric said, moving to put his bowl in the sink and leave the room before the real regret of telling Stefan, Damon's brother, set in. That had been stupid. Stefan would most likely tell him, considering how much he supposedly cared about him. But if Stefan did end up telling, Ric _did_ have a bag full of vervain darts, wooden bullets, and stakes…

"Damon's a lot more accepting than you think. In fact, I'm sure he'd be really happy to hear how much you care about him. He'd be flattered." Stefan tried, attempting to put emphasis on just how happy Damon would be if he heard how Ric truly felt. But it was all to no avail.

"Thanks but no thanks, Stefan, I don't think hearing that your best guy friend is in love with you is particularly comforting."

"Would you be happy?" Stefan asked.

"What, if Damon said he was in love with me? Of course I'd be happy! But that's different because I'm already in love with him."

"Well, maybe he's already in love with you." Stefan said, wincing inwardly at how close he was to just telling all and explaining his earlier conversation with Damon on this exact same subject. But no, he couldn't betray his trust like that.

Alaric gave Stefan another 'are you fucking insane?' look before bursting into laughter.

"Yeah, the moment Damon Salvatore is in love with me is the day it snows in July." Ric said before exiting the room in a huff, feeling only slightly better than before. This little talk had solved none of his problems.

….

A few hours later, when Stefan was out hunting and Damon was holed up in his bedroom fantasizing about what Alaric was doing in the living room and Alaric was sitting in the living room fantasizing about what Damon was doing in his bedroom, the doorbell rang.

Ric sprang up to answer it, jolted out of his reveries and instantly thankful to whoever had done it. He shouldn't be wishing for things that were never going to happen.

"Oh, hi Elena. Come on in." Ric said, swinging the door open and motioning for her to enter the house.

"Is Stefan around?" She asked, kicking off her shoes and setting her bag on the ground before plopping on the couch.

"Sorry, no. He just went hunting, so it might be awhile." He smiled apologetically, watching as Elena turned to look behind her, eyes lighting up as she saw something or someone to her liking. He also turned and saw the object of her excitement: Damon. Looking damn sexy too, with a tight black sweater and black jeans, all coordinating with his midnight black hair, messy and wild from being laid on wrong. The monochromatic outfit only served to highlight the single thing of color: his eyes, a perfectly clear blue that seemed to burn out from underneath his arched brows and heavy black lashes. Ric's breath caught in his throat and he had to remind himself to exhale and inhale, take it easy, it's only your best friend, Damon Salvatore, who just so happens to be an extremely attractive vampire that sends shivers down your spine with a single glance, makes you lick your lips and stare in embarrassing ways just because he's so. fucking. hot.

Damon immediately turned to look at Ric as well and his cheeks flushed crimson, (Jesus, how many times was he going to blush today?) remembering the humiliating thoughts he had constructed upstairs in his bedroom. He turned away quickly and looked at Elena, who was drooling over him like a lovesick puppy, no shame in ogling him despite the fact that she never admitted to liking him as anything more than a friend, maintaining that Stefan was her true love. As if.

"What are you doing here, Elena?" Damon asked casually, an air of indifference about him. Because frankly, he didn't give a shit what Elena was doing here.

She frowned slightly at his tone, but perked back up and gave him an award-winning smile.

"I thought you could help me with my homework. It's really hard and you're so smart… so… yeah. Want to?"

"To be honest, not really. But I will if you really want me to, I suppose." He said, shrugging. "And I'm not that smart, so stop trying to flatter me. Why don't you just wait for Stefan anyway?"

Elena was taken aback by this. Damon always jumped on the chance to spend time with her, especially when Stefan wasn't around. And now he was acting like he could give a shit less about hanging out with her? What the hell was going on?

"Well, I wanted some help now and I thought you might want to, I don't know, hang out with me a little bit." She said flirtatiously, shooting him another sexy smirk. But apparently he wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, not really." He said, seemingly unaffected by her attempts to woo him.

"Damon, is something wrong?" She asked suspiciously, actually a bit concerned.

"Yes, there are plenty of things wrong right now, but none that concern you, so don't bother asking about them."

"Damon, come on. You usually love to spend time with me! Why are you acting like this?" Elena said, sounding rather hurt.

"Because I'm in love with somebody else, okay?" Damon snapped, looking a little embarrassed.

"Oh." Was all she managed to say, utter and complete shock and disbelief stamped on her pretty features. To say that Alaric was shocked was an understatement. He was frozen still at the admission, mouth ajar, blinking rapidly like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

At first Elena looked disappointed, sad, and maybe even slightly angry, but she quickly shook her head and smiled a little shakily at him, walking over to pull him into a hug.

"Oh, Damon. I'm really happy for you." She said, giving him a genuine smile. "But who is it? I have to know all the details!"

Damon's eyes drifted over and rested on Ric for a split second before returning back to Elena, cheeks even redder than before.

"I don't feel comfortable saying yet." He muttered, looking down at the ground.

"Okay, that's fine, no pressure or anything." Elena reassured him, giving him a final pat on the shoulder before heading upstairs. "I'm going to go wait in Stefan's room. Feel free to tell me whenever you're ready. I can't wait to know! We can go on double dates and everything! I wonder if Stefan knows yet…" Elena babbled excitedly as she ascended the stairs, finally reaching the top and heading to Stefan's room.

If Stefan told her, by God Damon would kill that bastard…

Then Ric cleared his throat, causing Damon to whirl around and face him, looking rather sheepish and Ric looking rather upset. Damon loved someone else? Life really sucked. He was finally over Elena and now he'd moved on to some other girl? He had no chance in hell of ever winning him over. Not that he had any plans to do so, but one could always dream. And dreams could always be crushed.

"You didn't tell me? I thought we were best friends." Ric said, hurt visible behind his dark blue eyes.

"Ric..." Damon started, unsure of what to say. 'I didn't tell you because it's you I'm in love with' followed by a passionate kiss and Ric serving him a punch in the face? No thanks. "I meant it when I said I wasn't comfortable divulging this information yet."

"But I won't tell anyone. I mean, you really are my best friend! Don't I deserve to know?" Ric asked subconsciously moving closer until his face was right in front of Damon's, chests nearly touching.

The vampire's eyes moved directly to Alaric's lips, seeming entranced by their smallest movements. He licked his own lips and looked back up to hold his best friend's gaze, eyes filled with lust. God, he wanted him so bad, his head was cloudy from their proximity, and gazing into those deep blue eyes, those never-ending pools of water, all he wanted was Ric to be his. And that wonderfully delicious smell that seemed to surround the teacher at all times once again had Damon woozy with desire.

"I can't tell you because I'm in love with – "

_Cliffhanger! Mwa-ha-ha-ha! *evil laughter*_


	4. Chapter 4: One Step Closer

One Step Closer

_***Hey! Kind of short chapter. Kind of non-eventful too. Still, read and review please! Trust me, Ric and Damon will discover their feelings soon enough!***_

God Ric's lips looked delicious. Really nice and plump, too inviting to ignore, but that created problems such as, oh I don't know, finishing that sentence. He merely left it hanging empty in the air as he studied his best friend's mouth even more. As if the previous half-minute of ogling hadn't been creepy enough. Just add another ten seconds after saying "I love –" and then check him out like the freak you are, Damon, keep it up and he's sure to never come within a five mile radius of you again. Congrats! Another friend to lose, another rejection served up nice and pretty on a silver platter, all thanks to your overaggressive behavior, your obsessive nature. Oh what the hell, the man brought it on himself! He was too fucking sexy for his own good! Of course Damon was going to drool over him! Anyone would be a fool not to. Ric was lucky he didn't just start groping him right now 'cause that took a hell of a lot of self-control. And Damon possessed only a small amount of that. Self-control, that is.

But admittedly yes, he should probably think about saying something. Oh the pressure. Of a name. He could say Caroline… but god. The girl was damn annoying at times, though he really did love her to pieces on the inside. As a friend, not a lover, just to clarify. Ric would see right through him on that one. I mean, he had used her as a human blood bag for several weeks, and it was no secret they clashed, no secret that the blonde vampire had a particular dislike for him, seeing as she never succumbed to his charms. After that first time, anyway. So no Caroline.

What about Bonnie? Okay… that was just stupid. Laughable. Ludicrous. Damon hated the witch. Well, he cared about her a little bit maybe but he'd never tell anyone that. Love? Impossible. She hated him too. That would actually be interesting though, if they became a couple… But yeah. Bonnie was definitely out. He wasn't confident he could even keep a straight face saying that to Ric, seeing the distinct possibility he would burst into spontaneous spasms of laughter at the sheer hilarity of such a statement.

Random girl. Now that could work. He could just compel her and Ric would never need to know anything, but then again, the teacher was pretty intuitive and would probably sense something amiss in her robotic and forced personality. Also, Damon had been in love with Elena for quite a while now, so it would have to be someone pretty special to interrupt that adoration. Someone like Ric. Definitely not some inconsequential girl he could care a shit less about, though. Hmm…

Aha! Random guy! Now that would be something new. It might be convincing then because everyone would just be too shocked to question him, and would then be afraid of offending him if they asked about the gender of his new companion. That would leave Damon clear of any suspicions, at least to his face, though behind his back people would be sure to talk. On the bright side of that situation, this could possibly clear the door for Ric, showing that he was perfectly okay with being with another guy, though it wasn't something he had ever made a habit of before.

Then again, he could just come clean and say Ric. Of course, this could potentially ruin any semblance of a relationship they currently had, causing the teacher to either laugh at him or completely shun him. Both were options he'd rather avoid. On the other hand, he could reciprocate and then they could engage in some passionate kissing, which was the ideal scenario in Damon's mind. The odds of it all playing out so nicely, however, were extremely slim, somewhere around next to nothing, hence the string of lies Damon was attempting to concoct in his head while he continued to stare at Ric's face, which was becoming increasingly confused and concerned as Damon remained silent. And don't forget he was still creepily staring at his lips. Shit, he needed to say something and say it soon!

He was Damon Salvatore. He was impulsive. He was reckless. And he was going to tell his best friend he was in love with him.

"Well… Ric, I'm in love with –"

"Damon!"

"Seriously Stefan!?" Damon spun around, finally breaking his gaze from Ric's form, eyeing his brother with disbelief. Could this really be happening? This was the man who had encouraged him to talk to Ric in the first place! Oh the irony…

"Ummm… yeah…" Stefan said, cocking his head at Damon as if he was the crazy one. As if! He shook his head and placed it in his hands, sighing heavily as he tried to refrain from killing his only brother right then and there.

"What the fuck do you want?" Damon said through gritted teeth, visibly fuming. "This better be damn good."

"I just wanted some help getting ready for Elena's party tomorrow. We have to buy all the supplies, invite all the people, clean the house, among other things. I'm not doing it all myself, you know." Stefan explained, like this was a perfectly acceptable reason to interrupt Damon's love confession. Damn that kid!

"Ummm… did you really just barge in here to say _that_? I'm not sure I can comprehend this. If I'm right, and that was all you wanted to say, then you are in a shitload of trouble." Damon seethed, glowering up at Stefan with more malice than he'd seen in a long time. It was actually really frightening and Stefan stumbled back a few steps with the force of such a glare directed at himself.

"Did I interrupt something?" Stefan asked dumbly, glancing between Ric and his brother as realization finally hit him. Shit, Damon was obviously about to say something important to the teacher, most likely about his hidden feelings. "I can just go…"

"No, I'll go." Ric said, walking past Damon quickly. "We can talk later. Bye Stefan. Damon." He nodded before exiting hastily, shooting an apologetic glance at Stefan as he passed, knowing full well the extent of Damon's wrath. He did not want to be there to see it.

"Wait, Ric!" Damon called, reaching out to grab his wrist, but he was already gone, the front door slamming as he made his getaway.

"See what you've done?"

"Sorry?" Stefan shrugged sheepishly, breaking into a run as Damon's hulking form advanced on him. He really was in a shitload of trouble.

…

Ric had almost lost control in there. He sat in his car and raked his hands through his hair, trying to return his heartbeat to a normal pace as he remembered those few minutes he'd been alone with Damon. Oh god, he had almost kissed him! Their lips had been so close, and Damon had been staring at him in this way that made his insides tingle, his nails dig into the palms of his hands. It was as if he had been in a trance, staring into those deep blue eyes as he waited for an answer he didn't want to hear. He didn't want to hear who his friend was in love with now, who he would spend 150 years chasing after this time, which beautiful girl had captured the heart that belonged to Ric. No, he didn't care to listen to that.

But then Stefan had arrived to save the day, thank heavens. He had spared Ric the embarrassment of randomly pressing his lips to Damon's while simultaneously sparing him the pain of hearing the name of Damon's most recent love. He was still curious though… who the hell was it? He'd find out later, of course, when Damon and his brother were done preparing for Elena's little party.

Actually, he had completely forgotten about the event, caught up in more serious matters such as his unrequited love for his best friend. Who was also a vampire. And a man. Talk about forbidden love. He wasn't even sure why the girl was holding this party, aside from just wanting to. And Stefan did everything she wanted. At least when Damon had been in love with her he had retained something of a backbone. The younger brother catered to her every whim. But Ric knew that Stefan had wanted to host this get-together as well, and heck, he was even sure Damon had wanted it too. In fact, everyone was pretty excited for it aside from him. He was invited, but his students would be there so things would be awkward… but Damon had all but begged him to go, saying everyone would be so hammered they wouldn't give a shit what he did or why he was there. That was reassuring. The kids he was supposed to be responsible for would be underage drinking, probably doing drugs and other illegal things. That would be nice, would make him feel so much better about the entire thing. (WTF?!)

In fact, the impending bash at the mysterious Salvatore mansion (plenty of rooms to get some privacy, eh?) was all anyone had talked about at school the entire week, which did nothing to calm his nerves about the entire thing. Alas, he had agreed to attend. One of the many bad decisions he had made in his life. What was he supposed to do, drink? No way, not in front of students. Find someone to hook up with? Now that was just against the law. And he wanted Damon anyway, so fat chance of that happening.

As Ric drove around aimlessly, he debated where to go. His current home was at the boardinghouse and he had no errands to run so… what was he supposed to do? Stop at The Grill, perhaps. At least there, with a drink in hand, he could contemplate what he was going to do about Damon, though he was pretty sure he knew exactly what plan he'd come up with: absolutely nothing.

…

"Come back here you little piece of shit!" Damon called as he chased Stefan around their house at vampire speed. It was a rather comical sight considering all that could be discerned were quick flashes of black (Damon) and red (the color of Stefan's hoodie) zooming from room to room. But Stefan wasn't laughing and neither was Damon, sadly, being too focused on catching his brother and beating the living daylights out of him.

"Jesus Christ Damon! Calm down." Stefan said, finally stopping and panting, tiring of this little game, one he knew he would never win thanks to his animal diet. Not fair.

Damon came to a halt a few yards before him, face flushed from anger as well as exertion, though he wasn't half as tired as Stefan. And he looked pissed.

"I can't believe you Stefan! I finally work up the courage to talk to Ric and what do you do? You interrupt at the exact second I'm about to tell him I'm in love with him! I'll probably never be able to do that again. I mean, it's like a one-time thing, you know? And now it's ruined. Thanks."

"I said I was sorry, okay? It's not like I meant to! Just tell him later, I'm sure he would be thrilled."

"Tell him later? You don't understand. Just… never mind. Whatever." Damon huffed, the anger going out of him as he sat down on the floor staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression. He appeared to be troubled, for he never backed down from the opportunity to fight his little brother. After standing there awkwardly for a few minutes, Stefan plopped down next to him.

"What's the matter?"

"I just was so ready to tell Ric everything. That would have taken a lot off my shoulders, you know? But now that moment is gone and I'm not in the right mindset to tell him anymore. So I'm back to square one. Oh, and I have to make up a fake person that I'm supposedly in love with. Life sucks."

"Well, why don't you stop whining and help me get ready for this party. It'll help take your mind off things. And hell, maybe you can even try to enjoy yourself tomorrow night." Stefan suggested, standing up and extending Damon a helping hand, which he accepted in order to stand next to Stefan, straightening his clothes.

"Yeah, sure." Damon smiled weakly, an attempt that made Stefan laugh.

"Oh shut up." He said, smiling for real.

….

The next day was spent setting up and preparing everything for the big event, all under the critical eye of Elena, of course, who insisted on having everything perfect. She also wouldn't stop pestering Damon about this new crush of his, questions that he shrugged off or refused to answer, which caused Stefan to smirk, being that he knew the answers to all of Elena's inquiries.

And then that answer came walking through the door.

"Ric!" Damon said in surprise. "Where the hell have you been? You look like shit." Lies. No matter what, Ric looked sexy as fuck, not that Damon would ever admit it.

"I just spent the night at my own house, to be honest. I think I got drunk at The Grill yesterday and then drove home by mistake. Sorry." He apologized, looking slightly embarrassed.

"No, that's okay. It's not like I have any reason to keep you here anymore." Except that I'm in love with you. "You're a grown man, Adrian's dead, you can go wherever you want." Damon shrugged, hoping he looked nonchalant and indifferent, not hopeful and needy like he felt, wanting Ric to stay at the mansion with all his heart. It took a lot of energy to stay away from him. They were like magnets.

"I should probably go upstairs and get cleaned off and sobered up for the party, right?" Ric asked. "Unless you have to use it first." He said, looking pointedly at Damon.

"Nope, whenever you want it, you've got it. I didn't even know you were coming to the party." Damon said.

"I don't have to if you've changed your mind." Ric said quickly, not wanting to intrude where he wasn't welcome.

"No! I want you to come. Please don't leave me alone!" Damon pleaded, realizing he probably sounded pretty desperate. He didn't care, though, wanting Ric to come so bad it almost hurt.

"Okay, I won't. But you owe me. Big time." Ric smirked before heading upstairs, wishing Damon would be joining him in the shower. That fantasy would most likely never come to fruition, however, so he shook it from his head with a hint of disgust, disgust as he thought about how these feelings were kind of wrong.

Part of him wanted to ask Damon to finish the conversation they had started yesterday, but part of him didn't want to know, was afraid of what name the vampire would spit out. So he went up without another word, thinking instead about what a crappy night this was going to be. Already he had seen the alcohol and already he had witnessed the transformation of the lower level into a miniature club, a setting he did not want to see his students in. Oh god, this was going to be weird.

….

_***Sorry nothing major happened this chapter. No love confessions :( but wait! Next chapter is the party! And I can tell you this: there will be some action there. You'll just have to wait and see… Hopefully I can update fairly quickly and won't keep you waiting too long. Review please!_


	5. Chapter 5: let's get this party started

Let's Get This Party Started

_*** Hey! This chapter came a little later than I hoped, but it's pretty long, so hope that makes up for it. Please read and review if you would! Enjoy :)***_

People were beginning to arrive, most of them people Damon didn't even recognize. He had taken it upon himself to invite some of his own… friends… a.k.a. bodacious women who were so busy drooling over him that he had to repeat himself twice about where and when the party was. As long as he was there, they said they'd be sure to come. So of course, they were all showing up at the door, Damon unable to remember even one of their names. Not that he cared. He'd invited them a while ago, before his feelings for Ric emerged. He'd been hoping to make Elena jealous.

But now he was just upset, watching everyone approach the door through the window in his bedroom, not bothering to go downstairs and greet them. He wanted to tell Ric, but he just couldn't, and this infuriated him to no end. He was the invincible vampire, courageous, strong, bold, didn't give a shit, said and did what he wanted, when he wanted. And he was nervous over a little mortal man. But that mortal man was his best, and only, friend, which complicated things a bit.

At least Ric was attending the party. Not that he could hang with him the entire time. Parties were for hooking up, and he sure as hell wasn't hooking up with Ric. Of course not. If he had his way though…

Oh god, best not to think about these things lest he act on his impulses. Maybe he should actually listen to Stefan for once and just try to enjoy himself tonight… maybe get drunk and lure one of those blondes into bed. Could be fun, like old times. He should try to help Ric get someone too. That would be what a good friend would do.

Good friends did not ruin relationships by confessing hidden feelings of love. That is certainly not what Ric wanted to hear, that Damon was head over heels for him. He'd just have to forget about this annoying development and pretend he just liked Ric in the normal, friendly way.

Damon sighed and made his way to his closet, thumbing through his pants until he found the perfect pair: black leather. Oh yes. This was going to be fun.

He managed to pull the skin-tight pants up, studying himself in the mirror with satisfaction. He hated to be vain, but he looked pretty damn hot, especially sans a shirt. But he was not starting out the night shirtless considering that would happen soon enough on its own, probably sometime after the sixth drink or so. It always did, and every time Damon was equally surprised, never quite sure how he lost the top along the way.

Speaking of tops, he needed to pick one out… aha! He chose a sleeveless black shirt, tight as well, that showed off his muscular arms to perfection. He wasn't sure who he was trying to impress: one of the girls he was going to seduce or Ric, who he was definitely _not_ going to seduce. He had to tell himself this so that he didn't do anything later on when his judgment was slightly impaired. This was often a recurring problem for him, doing stupid things while drunk, and he made a pact that tonight was not going to be one of those times. Hopefully.

Damon finished preparing by styling his hair, only running his fingers through it once, leaving it rather messy and wild, just how he liked it. If his reflection was any indication, he looked really good, and slipped on some black boots before heading down the stairs. Time to have the night of his life.

….

Ric was left to answer the door for all of the guests while everyone else was getting ready, which actually kind of pissed him off considering he wasn't the one that even wanted to have this dumb party. Too bad he was fairly low maintenance and it only took him about five minutes to get ready. A T-shirt and jeans were all he needed, thus making him the designated host for now. And the people entering weren't even familiar in the least, all big-breasted women who looked a little too old to be in high school. These were definitely not his students and Elena sure as hell didn't know these people. The way they were dressed made them look pretty slutty to Ric's eyes, leaving only one candidate as to who could have invited them: Damon.

His suspicions were confirmed when the group of girls let out one big high-pitched squeal, rushing to the stairs to greet whoever had just descended. Of course it was Damon, and Ric rolled his eyes at the reaction before doing a double take. Holy shit! He was instantly hyperventilating a little as he took in Damon's appearance, all black with leather and the perfect sex hair. Oh god, his knees were going weak. He couldn't tear his eyes away from his friend's bulging biceps, lean but muscular all the same, and the abs clearly visible through his shirt. And so he just stared, completely ogling him like all the fawning girls were doing, each vying for his attention.

"Do you remember me, Damon? At the bar –" "Hey, my name's Christie" "You look really good Damon, have you been working out" "Wanna dance? I can –" "Ohmygod! You're so hot!"

And other exclamations such as this, all of which Damon was clearly ignoring, instead scanning the crowd until his eyes settled on Ric and he smirked, eyes lighting up as he gave a small wave. Ric just stood there for a moment, mouth hanging open, before regaining composure and returning the wave, rolling his eyes as he gestured to the women flocking around the staircase, so thick that Damon could barely move. He liked to tease Damon about the way women reacted to him, leaving out how he was personally affected, of course. It seemed tonight would be no exception.

The doorbell rang again, forcing Ric to avert his gaze and move his trembling knees to the front entryway. Expecting to see more of these busty women, he instead was confronted with Bonnie and Caroline, both looking just as shocked as he did.

"Ric? Didn't know you would be here." Bonnie said, peering around him to see what all the commotion inside was.

"And I didn't know all of them would be here." Caroline stared at all the people still hovering around Damon, who was attempting to push his way down the stairs, looking a little pissed. Ric couldn't help but snicker at this sight, turning around as Damon caught him laughing and glared menacingly.

"Yeah Caroline, do you know any of these people? And Bonnie, did you really think I'd miss the biggest party of the school year? I am the cool teacher, you know."

Bonnie laughed in response and nodded excitedly as she walked in, taking a look around at the transformed interior of the Salvatore mansion as Caroline followed closely on her heels, still staring daggers at the unknown guests.

Hmmm… interesting. She seemed almost jealous. Maybe Caroline was who Damon was talking about earlier, but then again, he had used the poor girl as a human blood bag when they first met, compelling her and using her for his own gains. That wasn't exactly the best first impression.

Yeah, there was no way the mystery girl was Caroline. But then who was it? One of the girls pestering him, one of the girls he looked about ready to murder right now? Not likely…

"Hey Ric!" Damon called, finally making his way over to the teacher, who was looking at him with a slightly amused expression. "Oh shut up already! Yes, I get it, I was stupid to invite all those people and of course they all love me! Who doesn't?" Damon asked, draping one arm over Ric's shoulder and with the other grabbing a shot that he downed quickly all in one gulp. "Glad to see you came, though. I promise, you'll have a great time! I can hook you up with any of these fine young women. You're definitely hot enough."

"You think I'm hot?" Ric asked incredulously, sounding maybe a little too desperate. But the really perplexing thing was the slow blush that spread over Damon's cheeks as he looked away, obviously embarrassed.

"Well, yeah, you know, you think I'm hot, right?" He asked quickly, face beautifully flushed and cheeks darkened as he looked deep in Ric's eyes.

"Ummm… of course Damon. Of course you're hot." Alaric muttered, smiling an embarrassed smile of his own, unable to keep his own cheeks from turning red at this admission. Things were getting real awkward real fast and Damon took his arm off Ric's shoulder, clearly wanting to get away.

"I need another drink. You want one?" Damon asked, already drifting away as a particularly pretty young girl tugged at his sleeve. Ric suspected it to be Linzie from second period and shook his head, realizing that getting drunk at a party filled with his own students would be stupid and embarrassing. Damon just gave him a thumbs up and let the little redhead pull him away.

Damn, now he was alone, standing against a wall like some sort of chaperone instead of an attendee. This was all a bad idea, a really bad idea. Who had he let talk him into this? Oh yeah, Damon, his secret love, who was making out with goddamn Linzie on a table, perfectly in his line of vision. So much for being in love, although Damon had always been fairly promiscuous. Still, Ric was pretty positive this wouldn't be the last girl Damon was with tonight.

And it would prove to be a very long night.

….

Damon noticed as Elena made her way to the music, flipping on "Let's Get This Party Started" by Korn, which made him chuckle slightly because they were getting started with a party and the song was saying "let's get this party started"! That was funny.

Oh god. He was seriously already getting drunk. Probably not good considering the night was still young… but what the hell, he may as well enjoy it while it lasted. He'd ditched that Linzie chick a while back because, let's face it, she was way too young. Couldn't have been over fifteen. And he just couldn't seem to get into it, always stealing glances at Ric, who was mostly just standing alone looking uncomfortable, which made Damon feel bad seeing as he was the one that had dragged him here anyway, but he wasn't safe while in this state. He'd probably pounce on him and demand he undress right there in the living room, which would surely freak Ric out. Best to stay away.

Grabbing another swig from his bottle of bourbon he looked down to find that his shirt was surprisingly still intact. Wow, he really needed to pick up the pace. Scanning the room he found a girl who he seemed to remember as being called Kallie and hopped off his perch, approaching her and holding out his hand.

"Wanna dance Kallie?" Just a vague guess with the name. Shouldn't have tried anything at all.

Confusion flitted across her face for a moment before she shrugged and broke into a sexy smile. "Yeah, sure!"

Damn. Wrong name. Oh well, did it matter anyway?

He grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, starting to dance. Or trying to dance. What he was doing was more like moving a little while grasping her hips, letting whatever-her-name-was do all the work as he kissed along her neck and jaw, trying to work up some passion. Not working. All he could think about was Ric, who seemed to be watching him from that damn corner with a solemn look on his face. If only he knew how much Damon wanted it to be him and not this… this… Kallie, or whoever she was. He was probably pissed that Damon practically begged him to come and then paid no attention to him.

And so Damon left the room, deserting that girl who was looking rather confused again at her partner's disappearance. He went to the kitchen, away from Ric's prying eyes, trying to escape the temptation to confront him and instead searched around for… something. Maybe Elena? Just someone to talk to, not make out with or try to put the moves on. It was clear Ric was the only one for him and trying to be with other women was useless, so he may as well just hang out. But not with Ric. He was sufficiently drunk at this point and was barely keeping it together as it was without having the temptation right in front of him. He had to stay away at all costs.

…

Ric watched with a narrowed gaze as Damon led another young girl to the dance floor. This was torture. It was hard because seeing Damon with all these other people was disheartening, to say the least, but it was simultaneously a very sexy sight and he was getting aroused just watching. Ugh. Now he was kissing her. Too much, just too much. They weren't even dancing for God's sakes! He was just putting those perfect lips on her skin! Lips that should be on himself!

Ric was extremely glad when Damon suddenly disappeared, leaving that bitch looking around stupidly. Okay, that might have been a bit harsh. She probably wasn't a bitch, but she had been on his Damon!

He settled into a nearby chair with a huff, clearly agitated and slightly bored. He'd been standing here scoping out Damon for hours and it was exhausting, and he felt pretty stupid himself. Maybe he should just leave…

"Hey cutie!"

Oh god. It was one of Damon's friends. Or whatever they were, friends perhaps not being the best word. Nevertheless, she was giving him this look like he should know what to do, which he obviously didn't.

"Umm… hi?" He said hesitantly, wanting desperately to escape this situation. But that seemed impossible as she straddled him in his seat, legs around his waist and face inches from his own. Shit. This isn't really what he wanted… but then again, everyone else was doing it. He'd been bored all night, so he deserved to get in on a piece of the action, right? And Damon wasn't even in here anyway, so it didn't matter…

Before he could make a decision one way or the other she crushed her lips to his roughly, slithering her tongue into his mouth, boobs pressed against him tightly. It was actually kind of uncomfortable. He wanted Damon's firm chest and soft lips, but beggars can't be choosers, eh? So he kissed back after a second or two, snaking his hands around her waist and pulling her closer, which for some reason had her moaning into his mouth.

He wasn't really that into it, though, and just kind of went through the motions, moaning a bit himself and playing with her tongue, moving his lips to her neck and jaw as he'd seen Damon do countless times with countless women. It was all an act, just something to pass the time and make him seem a little less lame.

They kept at this for what seemed like hours until he was kissing her breasts and she was beginning to unzip his jeans, licking up his neck. Her mouth was too wet and left his skin feeling somewhat gross, yet Ric didn't let these minor setbacks faze him. But he was not about to let her get into his pants right here in front of all these people. Or anywhere, for that matter. Kissing was one thing, a line that was not to be crossed. He definitely wasn't about to let things get this far, but she was persistent despite his light protests.

And then he was saved.

….

Damon wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, shrugging off all the girls trying to get him to hang with them. He was tired of that and was looking for someone who wouldn't be all over him. In the back of his mind it registered that Ric fit the bill, the only problem being that he would be the one all over Ric. At this point in the night he didn't trust his mental state around someone that fucking delicious. Yea, Ric looked especially delectable tonight, all cute standing in the corner awkwardly like he didn't know what to do. If only…

But no. Better stay away, find something to do here in the kitchen.

After several minutes of searching Damon proceeded to enter a small room just off the kitchen, a small glow the only source of light. Could be interesting.

He walked a few steps into the hallway and was immediately confronted with a smoky haze, which tipped him off as to exactly what was going on in this room.

"Hey Jer!" Damon said upon entering, seeing the teen slumped against the leg of a table in a circle with a few other questionable people, two boys and two girls, all with multiple piercings and tattoos, donned in all black clothing. Smoking pot, of course. There were other drugs too, which had Jeremy's eyes going wide as Damon entered the room, looking around thoughtfully.

"Don't worry, I won't tell your big sis." He said, smirking, as he realized that what with all the black clothing and such, he actually fit in here. Might as well stay and get high. He was already pretty drunk, so what the hell, might as well get into some more shit. And one of the girls was actually pretty hot. Not that she compared to Ric or anything, but still, if he got high enough things could happen.

One of the boys was rather cute too, and he was already giving Damon googly eyes as he plopped down, joining the circle as if he belonged. It didn't seem that anyone minded except for Jer anyway, and he could deal with the kid later.

"I'm not doing anything, just hanging out with some friends. And no one invited you, dick." Jeremy said, obviously lying. Damon just smirked and plucked the joint from the cute boy's hands, brushing their fingers and raising his eyebrows suggestively before taking a drag.

Shit, it had been a while since he'd done this. The 90's maybe? Whatever it was, it had been years and years. Felt pretty damn good. No harm, right?

…

He didn't know how much longer it had been but he suspected he was really high and drunk right now, evidenced by the fact that he was on top of that boy, pressing their lips together. Needed some practice if he ever wanted to be with Ric anyway, so might as well keep right on trucking. Kayden seemed to be enjoying it too, so why not?

(Yeah, he'd actually found out this kid's name before making out with him. That was a step up, right?)

It'd been a while since he'd kissed a guy as well, but Damon was thoroughly enjoying it, all the while wondering if this was what it would be like to kiss Ric. Probably not considering this boy had never kissed anyone before and had a lip piercing that filled his mouth with the taste of metal. It was pretty fun to play with though, and it was kinda hot. Maybe he could persuade old Ricky to get one.

That image had Damon laughing quite hard on the inside, so much so that he actually started to shake a little. Jesus, the day that Ric got a piercing…

He moved to Kaden's neck, kissing and licking, enjoying as the kid squirmed beneath him, obviously aroused, just like any newbie who got a kiss from Damon. Nice to get that reaction from someone. How would Ric react? Would he squirm, moan, kiss back?

God, gotta stop thinking about that. But all the drugs and alcohol were seriously fogging his mind. Maybe one kiss for his friend wouldn't hurt… no. No, no, no.

He moved back to the boy's mouth, licking up his lips before moving his tongue inside, licking the roof of his mouth. He had a tongue piercing too. That had to hurt.

Mmmmm… Ric…

He was seriously losing his mind.

"Hey kid, come on, I want to go back out front." Damon said, hopping up, dragging Kaden with him.

"Ummm… okay." He said as he realized he didn't have much of a choice, Damon's hold on his wrist much too strong to break. Damon didn't really know why he was going back out there, only that he had to, and he only took Kaden along so as not to leave the poor kid alone after making out with him sort of seriously. That would be rude and he liked him.

And that's how he caught that bitch Melissa with her mouth all over his precious Ric. _His_ Ric! Oh hell no. He sure as fuck wasn't letting this shit go down.

….

Sure enough, one minute Ric was sitting there trying to tell that chick to leave him alone and the next she was gone, a pissed off Damon looking her straight in the eye, compelling her.

"Fuck off. Leave here and never come back. And keep your hands away from my Ric."

The girl left with a confused look on her face, stumbling a bit. Damon was obviously drunk as he staggered over to Ric, plopping down in his lap, slurring his words. He reeked of pot too. And there was some guy standing behind him, looking a little weirded out, backing away slowly.

"Wait, Kaden, come back!" Damon called. This was obviously the boy's name seeing as he returned to stand in front of the black-haired vampire, leaning down as Damon grabbed his face and pulled him in for a lingering kiss, tongue invading his mouth, both of their lips moving against each other passionately. Ric couldn't help but be slightly aroused by this, which was embarrassing and uncomfortable considering Damon was sitting on his lap. He managed to keep it under control though, trying to look away despite his eyes being locked to the scene unfolding in front of him.

Damon was the first to pull back, leaving Kaden flushed and panting, an awed grin on his face.

"Thanks buddy. Tonight was fun." He said with a wink, and the kid stumbled away with that same grin plastered on his face as if this had been the best night of his life. Kissing Damon, it probably was. Jealousy coursed through Ric followed by shock and confusion. Did Damon just kiss a guy?

But right then his friend turned back to him with a glare.

"What the fuck was that with Melissa?" He asked, looking pretty mad. Almost… no… couldn't be jealous. Definitely not. Just anger.

"What are you talking about? We were just kissing! Sorry, is she who you're in love with? If so, I'm really sorry man, but all the girls you were making out with made me think otherwise. She's all yours if you want her."

"Don't be stupid. I don't want that slut. You're too good for her, shouldn't be making out with girls like that." Damon said, looking away as a blush started to creep across his cheeks.

"Oh, okay, I see. You can be all over those girls but I can't have just a little bit of fun one night. It's not like I wanted a relationship with her. Why do you care? It's not like you own me!" Ric shouted, getting slightly defensive. Who the hell was Damon to be telling him who he could and couldn't kiss?

"I know it's just… never mind. Whatever. You're right, I overreacted. Just looking out for you." Damon shook his head, the anger draining out of his face, replaced with embarrassment. Then he all of a sudden wrapped his legs around Ric's waist so that he was straddling him, leaning in to lay his head on Ric's back, circling his arms around his torso so that they were flush against each other, Damon's hair tickling his nose and face. This was… weird, to say the least, but he couldn't stand from this damn chair because Damon was on top of him. Shit. If he got aroused again…

"Ummm… so, um… didn't know you were into, um, guys." Ric said as Damon started rubbing his nose against Ric's neck, obviously _very_ drunk. This behavior was odd, though not unpleasant. Definitely not unpleasant.

"Not. I'm over 150 years old, so it's not like I haven't experimented. Kaden was just a distraction." Damon replied, content with just resting his face on Ric's back, lips brushing his bare skin as he talked. Oh god, this situation was too much and Ric knew he was about to do something he'd really regret if Damon didn't get off him soon.

"Oh… distraction from what?" Ric tried desperately to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Damn, there went any possible chance he had of getting Damon. If only he was actually into guys…

"From that special someone that I love." Damon said, smirking a little as he sat up and looked into Ric's eyes, climbing off quickly as if he just realized what he was doing. Jesus, he was really out of it. How much did the guy drink for god's sakes?

"Gonna tell me who it is yet? Or is it still a secret." Ric asked, hoping Damon was ready to answer. The curiosity was winning out over the dread and maybe, just maybe, he was drunk enough to tell.

"Maybe later… if you dance with me." Damon smirked, looking almost triumphant, holding out a hand that Ric eyed wearily.

"I can't really dance…" He started, glancing around at the other dancing couples, none of whom were both males.

"C'mon Ricky! Pleeeease." Damon whined, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him up so that they were both standing. He then walked behind Ric, wrapping his arms around his torso and breathing hotly in his ear. "You know you want to."

And then he licked the ear. Damon licked his ear! Ric just nodded dumbly, stunned beyond belief as Damon led him away from the chair and into open space so that they could dance, the vampire losing his shirt somewhere along the way.

How'd that happen?

Shirt or no shirt, they didn't exactly dance per se, merely swayed back and forth while Damon hugged him tight, running his fingers up his spine and tracing patterns on his back. Jesus, this was all happening too quickly. He could feel Damon's bare chest press against his back, and those cool fingers running all over him. Why was this happening? This shouldn't be happening.

Ric started to worry a little as he let Damon keep doing… whatever it was he was doing, thinking about the repercussions of all this intimacy. The vampire clearly had no idea what he was doing anymore, and come tomorrow he would probably regret everything, then wonder why the hell Ric had just let him do it instead of stopping it all. That was a good question. "Well Damon, I'm actually in love with you and have been dreaming of this moment for weeks now." Most likely wouldn't go over too well. But stopping it would be losing an opportunity! He couldn't work up the courage to tell Damon to get off for fear this might be his only shot at ever being close with the vampire in this way, not just as friends. Because what they were doing had quite obviously crossed the line of "friendly affection". And damn did it feel good.

But alas, that boundary, once crossed, was hard to establish once again. If Damon remembered tonight's events tomorrow, their relationship would probably be left in shambles. That was too much to pay for a little dance, right? But maybe he'd forget, or maybe he wouldn't care. Ric was running under the assumption Damon would regret everything, but maybe he'd be okay with it. The chance was slim, but hey, a chance was a chance.

So he just sat there and allowed Damon to continue with his ministrations. Hell, maybe this _was_ his idea of friendly. It's not like they were doing anything wrong… technically.

Wait! What the fuck was that? Holy shit!

"Uh… Damon, what are you doing?" Ric asked a little uneasily as he felt that unmistakable moist, silky warmth travel up his neck and the side of his face. There was no denying what that was: Damon's lips. He was kissing him. Again. This might be a tad too far considering Damon's current frame of mind. He should probably stop him sometime soon… ahhh… what was that? Oh god…

Damon was sucking on a particularly sensitive spot behind his ear that pretty much vaporized all willpower he still had intact at this point. Gone.

Ric fisted his hands in Damon's hair, clutching the black strands and pulling at them in ecstasy, holding his head there to continue sucking on his neck, giving a little lick here and there, a quick graze of teeth every once in a while. If there was a heaven, Ric decided, then this had to be it. Couldn't get any better. Fuck the whole stopping it idea, he would have to be really stupid to want this to end, senses on high alert as Damon tightened his grip on Ric's hips, giving a little squeeze.

A low moan crept out of his mouth into Damon's hair, which he only gripped tighter, lips a perfect "o" of pleasure and utter happiness. What he wouldn't give for this to go on forever.

And then it was all gone. He was brought down to reality once again as he gazed into Damon's bright blue eyes that were staring back at him, tainted by disgust. Indeed, he looked horrified, touching his lips hesitantly just as he had done that day when Ric had kissed him as a "joke". But this time it wasn't, and Ric didn't laugh, just felt tears begin to well up, hurt at Damon's reaction. Was it really that bad, so terrible to kiss him? He had been the instigator! He had been behind it all, not Ric! This rejection hurt.

"Ric, I didn't mean… that was… so sorry… I don't know… pretty drunk, did some drugs, I'll just… go." Damon managed to stammer before turning quickly on his heel, face aflame, cursing under his breath, hands clenched tightly at his sides.

"Damon! Wait!" Ric called, reaching out to grab his arm, which Damon looked at momentarily, that horrified expression coming back before shaking it off and making a hasty exit. And there went his best friend. So much for heaven. That look had been pure hell.

…

"Fuck!" Damon moaned, sliding down the wall and burying his head in his knees. What the hell had he been thinking! Oh, that's right, he hadn't been. He made a pact right then and there to abstain from all future drug use.

Damn, Ric had to hate him now. When he finally realized what he was doing, he felt so disgusted with himself that he had to leave immediately, and that look of hurt on Ric's face only proved his suspicions: his best friend was disgusted with him too. And he had been so sure he could avoid any slipups tonight, instead making the biggest one yet. He could always pull the drunk and high card… but still. That was pretty lame. Some drinking and drugs didn't make you do shit like that, especially not when you're a vampire, seeing as he was able to sober up a lot quicker than a human. In fact, he was almost completely sober now, hence his sudden revelation that what he was doing to Ric was completely and utterly wrong.

That's when he felt a body slide down next to him, sighing as whoever it was patted his back consolingly, noticing that he was actually crying tears of frustration. That wasn't embarrassing or anything.

"I fucked up Stefan."

"No, you just did what you felt. Nothing wrong with that."

"Ric was so grossed out. He hates me now. I fucked up my only friendship. That is wrong." Damon wiped angrily at his tears and turned to face Stefan, frowning.

"I don't think he was grossed out at all. He's been looking for you all over the place. You should talk to him." Stefan advised, trying to pull Damon to his feet, failing miserably.

"You better not tell him where I am. I don't want to talk to him. Like, ever." Damon glared.

"He's really upset about how you just ran off like that. You at least owe him that much after doing what you did, give him an explanation. He's not mad or disgusted, just hurt." Stefan tried again, urging Damon to get up.

"I don't believe you. There's no way he wants to talk to me of all people right now. Probably never wants to see me again." He mumbled, putting his head back in his hands.

"Stop feeling so sorry for yourself, dammit!" Stefan said sharply, grabbing Damon's hair and pulling his head up, delivering him a sharp smack.

"What the hell was that for?" Damon yelled, rubbing his sore cheek angrily, growling at Stefan, who was looking around nervously before leaning in close and whispering.

"I've got something important to tell you."

…

People were starting to file out the door, some stumbling drunkenly while others were still wrapped around each other in a passionate embrace. It had been one hell of a party and the house was left looking rather wrecked, empty bottles and cans littering the floor, furniture knocked over and broken.

At least Damon had finally materialized about an hour ago, although Ric hadn't yet gotten a good opportunity to confront him about the… incident. Every time he saw him he was busy talking to someone else or walking the opposite direction, clearly avoiding him. Wonder why.

But finally most everyone was gone and it was just him, Bonnie, Caroline, Elena, Stefan, Matt, and of course Damon left in the big mansion, cleaning as best they could, until they finally collapsed into a circular formation, the girls chattering excitedly about the night's happenings. Apparently Elena had been with Stefan while both Bonnie and Caroline had gotten several guys' numbers. Great. At least they had a good time.

Not that his night hadn't been… interesting. Bad and good all wrapped up in one. He kept sneaking glances at Damon, who was seated on the opposite side of circle between Elena and Matt, seeming deep in thought, before finally catching Ric's eye. They simply looked at each other, Damon's face completely expressionless. Then he began to smirk, raising his eyebrows a bit, causing Ric to look away, embarrassed. What did that look mean? Was it teasing? Teasing was better than silence and disgust at least.

"Oh, I know what we should do!" Elena squealed, raising her empty beer bottle in the air. "Let's play spin the bottle!"

Everyone else nodded in agreement, but Ric just shook his head and sighed. Everyone except Damon was his student, and that would be wrong and weird. He really shouldn't kiss people he had to see in the classroom every day.

"But whoever it lands on has to spend five minutes in the closet with the spinner kissing." Caroline added, upping the stakes. Christ, why did he come to this party again?

"Okay. Who wants to start?" Elena asked, looking around. When no one volunteered, she decided to spin it herself and watched as it landed on Stefan. Figures.

"No fair!" Everyone whined. "You're already together! That's no fun."

"Sorry, rules of the game." Elena said smugly, pulling Stefan into the closet where they kissed noisily for five minutes. It was kind of disturbing to listen to the moans and pants coming from behind the closed door, Ric suspecting they were doing a little more than chastely kissing. Definitely more.

"Times up!" Bonnie called, finally ending the session and ultimately relieving Ric's ears. Yuck.

Elena and Stefan exited then, Stefan smiling dumbly while Elena smirked, announcing that they would go clockwise around the circle, meaning Bonnie was next. The bottle landed on Stefan again, much to everyone's amusement, and he seemed a little uncomfortable, hesitantly following Bonnie into the fateful closet where all was silent.

"Come on, we can hear that you're not doing anything!" Caroline yelled, causing a few sounds to come from the dark room, though they were much more innocent than the ones made by Elena and Stefan. It was obvious that the kissing was soft and gentle, probably with a closed mouth. And then the five minutes was up.

"Time!"

And out they came. That's when Ric froze up, seeing he was next in line for the bottle. Shit. He didn't want to do this, but spin he did, and the person it landed on was so outrageous that he almost choked.

Damon? Again? Oh cruel world, why was this happening! There was no way this had just happened, yet there he was, being pushed into the closet amidst the giggles of the girls who found it so cute that the best friends got to kiss. Damon was strangely just smirking at him the whole time, not protesting in the least.

"Don't forget, we'll be listening!" Elena made sure to remind him. Thanks, that would make things so much easier.

Before he knew it, the door was being shut and the only sound was breathing while the only sight was darkness. Nobody was moving, and Ric felt inclined to speak, explain earlier, let Damon know he didn't have to do this, that he knew he had been disgusted and it was okay, it was all just a big misunderstanding.

"Hey Damon, about earlier, I –"

His words were cut off by the pressure of Damon's lips, brushing sensuously against his own. Holy shit! Once again, there was that spark of electricity that jolted through his entire body as he felt Damon lick up his lips, reaching up to sift his fingers through Ric's hair.

What was happening right now?

"Don't think. Just feel." Damon said against his mouth, lips sliding messily over his own, tongue snaking its way inside. They started the inevitable war for dominance as Ric started to kiss back, licking at Damon's lower lip and playing with his tongue, grasping his lower lip between his teeth and tugging, which drew a long moan out of Damon, who retaliated by moving his mouth to Ric's ear, licking and sucking on it while moving his hands down Ric's sides, reaching around back to pull him closer, a motion which Ric happily obeyed.

Before he knew what was happening, Damon was squeezing his ass, which caused Ric to moan slightly, whimpering as the fingers proceeded to move up his shirt and play with a nipple. Somewhere in his subconscious he registered that there were small chuckles coming from outside the door, most likely in response to the noises coming from the closet, but Ric didn't care at the moment, letting Damon run his hands all along his body, arching his back into Damon's chest with every touch.

He felt the tongue move to his neck and lips encircling it, placing large, wet, open-mouthed kisses all over it, hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, trailing down his spinal cord. This sent shivers through Ric, who wrapped his arms around Damon's waist and embedded his fingers in the thick black hair as well.

They kept at this for a while before Damon stopped completely, stepping away, clearing his throat as Ric whined a bit and tried to move back into his arms. And that's when he noticed the door was open, everyone's mouths hanging wide open, eyes unblinking and large with shock.

"Sorry, we tried to knock and everything but you guys didn't answer… so…" Elena mumbled.

The others were just staring, Alaric's hair a mess and cheeks flushed, panting slightly, hands still clasped around Damon, whose hands were still underneath his shirt. Awkward much?

"That was…" Caroline started, unable to tear her eyes from the men before her.

"the hottest thing I've ever seen." Bonnie finished, grinning in awe.

Damon and Ric scurried back to their seats, Ric embarrassed and Damon smirking oddly at him for the rest of the night, rarely breaking eye contact, though Ric kept his own eyes averted as much as possible. What did this all mean?

At around 4:00 a.m. things started to dwindle down and everyone headed to their bedrooms, Ric unsure where to go. Should he stay or go home considering he didn't have to live here anymore?

But the decision was made for him as his feet carried him to Damon's bedroom, where he sat and waited while Damon showered, finally emerging in nothing more than a pair of black boxers. Typical.

"What the hell was tonight?" Ric demanded, refusing to let the sight of Damon so scantily dressed affect him. "First you go dancing and kissing me and then leave with this disgusted expression, ignoring me until kissing me again, rather passionately I might add, in a closet. I want to know what's going on."

And then he was flat on his back on the bed, Damon hovering over him, smiling triumphantly. Damn he was fast.

"Stefan told me a few things you said to him." Damon said, stroking Ric's hair out of his face absentmindedly, grinning down as Ric turned red.

"Don't listen to anything he says! He's just lying –" Lips were on his again, a quick kiss but a kiss nonetheless, promptly shutting him up.

"It's you Ric." Damon said, smiling.

"What do you mean?"

"The person I'm in love with. It's you."


	6. Chapter 6: Psychosocial

Psychosocial

_***Once again, sorry it's been quite a while this time! I haven't really been all that busy, just feeling rather uncreative. Thanks for all the nice reviews for the last chapter and I hope you will do the same for this one! Enjoy:)***_

Ric woke up with a throbbing headache. What the hell happened last night? He didn't even know exactly where he was, except that it was a bed and he was so deliciously warm that there was no urge to move and sort things out at the moment. Just a little longer in this paradise before he confronted how he'd gotten here in the first place. Oh well, it didn't really matter, because he'd had the best dream in the history of dreams and he intended to play it all back again in his mind.

Damon kissing down his neck on the dance floor, making out with him, those beautiful lips roaming all over his own, hands on his body, oh dear Jesus, the images were causing his lower regions to stir just thinking about it. But all of this was overshadowed by what happened next as he confronted Damon about the incidents, when Damon had said he loved him.

Damon rarely allowed himself to show emotion to anyone, especially things like love, making his small confession extremely groundbreaking and special. And to think, this man who he'd been pining after for some time actually felt the same about him. It made a huge smile creep onto his face, snuggling closer to the body behind him, reveling in the feeling of the arm clutching him closer, wrapped tightly around his waist, the smooth skin pressing against his back and hot breath ghosting along his neck. This scene was perfection with the hairs tickling his cheeks, making his grin even wider, the only disappointing fact being that the dream wasn't real. Couldn't be.

Wait. What the fuck? Body? Person in bed with him? Oh shit.

He wasn't usually one for one-night stands, for taking random strangers to bed with him, so this was completely unexpected and pretty much ruined the moment he'd been having. Damn. He knew that party had been a bad idea! Dear god, please don't let it be one of the students. This was all he asked as he tried to sit up and gently move away without waking whoever it was, only wanting to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible before Damon or someone else saw. They'd never let this one go if they found out and Ric could only imagine the jokes spewing from his best friend's mouth, taunts he'd rather avoid given the humiliation he already felt at the circumstances.

Letting out a muffled groan, the unknown bedfellow shifted closer to Ric, causing him to flinch as the arm held him down with an iron grip, preventing him from moving. Great. Now he had no choice but to wake the figure if he ever wanted to find out their identity. Still contemplating what action should be taken next, he let himself be clutched ever farther into this person's body, the firm skin of the chest now flush against his exposed back.

He did take time to note, however, that this chest was indeed muscular and flat. It was obviously a man. Double shit.

Ric had never slept with a man before, nor had he ever had the desire to do so. Well, except for Damon, but he didn't count. His infatuation with Damon wasn't the same as being attracted to men, because he wasn't. Ric wasn't gay. He just loved Damon, who happened to be of the male gender. It was hard to explain, but it pretty much went like this: Ric wasn't attracted to men, he was attracted to Damon. Therefore, the fact that some unidentified guy was spooning him was mildly concerning. This morning had quickly turned from one of peaceful slumber and good dreams to one of utter and complete horror.

But alas, he had to do something about it. He had to move away and figure out what the hell was going on. Chancing a peek out of the corner of his eye, Ric craned his neck in an attempt to see the guy's face but only managed to catch the hair in stark contrast with his cheek. Because the hair was a glossy black.

Triple shit now.

There was no way this was Damon. Plenty of guys had black hair, right? But dammit, he knew this hair anywhere thanks to his constant ogling of his best friend and all his features. And Ric had always harbored a soft spot for that hair, that hair that was pressed against him at this very moment. Now that the suspicion was in his head, he realized the arm draped over his torso most definitely belonged to Damon and the chest felt exactly like he imagined it would.

It was decided. Mystery Man was none other than Damon Salvatore.

Taking further stock of his body, Ric discovered that his jeans and undergarments were still intact and his ass didn't feel especially pained, leaving him to suspect that they at least hadn't slept together. Unless maybe he had topped, although he had always imagined himself to be the submissive in their relationship. Not that he had such dirty fantasies about Damon. Of course not.

Now for the ultimate question: why was said vampire cuddling in bed with him?

"Mmmm…" Damon moaned a little, lips vibrating at the base of Ric's neck as he nestled further into the brown hair, inhaling deeply. Thankfully he appeared to be waking up so some answers could be given, for Ric could remember almost nothing from last night, save for that damn dream. On the other hand, he was somewhat afraid to hear that he'd done something incredibly stupid and this entire situation was his fault, resulting in the outing of his secret attraction and an angry vampire.

Through all this pondering he felt long eyelashes fluttering against his skin as they struggled to open, blinking rapidly as if trying to understand all this just as much as Ric was, the figure behind him sitting up while he pretended to be asleep. Frankly, he didn't want to look into Damon's eyes as he realized just who was in bed with him. The disgust might be too much to bear.

"Ric?" He heard Damon's utterly sexy morning voice ask in surprise, just lying there, keeping up the ruse of sleep, waiting for the moment of realization and inevitable anger.

But it never came.

Instead all he heard was a soft sigh before he felt Damon return to his previous position on the bed, hugging him close once again. And he could feel the grin plastered on his face as he did so. It was completely unexpected.

"I was afraid it was all a dream." Damon murmured, placing a light kiss on his shoulder, fingers sifting through the messy brown mop splayed on the pillow, nails scratching against his scalp. Also unexpected. Maybe he should "wake up" now.

"Damon?" Ric answered groggily, turning over to look into the vampire's eyes for the first time this morning, the blue bright and clear in the sunlight streaming through the window, catching the black hair and illuminating it as if Damon was wearing a halo. And he may as well have been an angel to Ric as he sat entranced by the man before him in all his glory, bare-chested and beautiful.

"Hey, you're awake! Feeling okay?" He asked, giving Ric a small grin.

"Yeah I feel okay except I'm kinda confused." The teacher said, watching Damon apprehensively. None of this was making the slightest bit of sense.

"Oh good! I was a tad concerned when you passed out on me last night, but you're better now, eh? Probably just shock. Maybe it was a bit too soon for my confession."

Confession? Like… the dream confession?

"What are you talking about?" Ric asked, watching as Damon moved away a bit, noting that he was only wearing black boxers. That was hot.

"You don't remember?" He said sadly, blushing a bit.

"Not really." Ric said sheepishly. "But I'm all ears now." Please god, let it be what he hoped it was. Please.

"Uhhh…" Damon stalled climbing out of the bed hurriedly, backing toward the door. "You probably don't want to know anymore. It wasn't important. I'll just… get in the shower."

He seemed strangely… nervous. What if the dream was reality? He had to find out dammit!

"Don't you dare leave. Why were you in bed with me? And what the hell did you confess last night?"

Damon wasn't getting away this time.

….

_Last Night_

"The person I'm love with. It's you." Damon said, all of a sudden becoming shy and embarrassed. He averted his eyes, afraid to see what reaction Ric would have, waiting to hear what he would say instead.

And he was greeted with silence. He waited. And waited. Until finally he looked up to find Ric slumped back on the bed passed out. Wonderful. He'd finally confessed his love, something that took a lot of courage by the way, and this was what he got in return. Perfect, just perfect.

Sighing, he just stood there, unsure of exactly what to do. Should he carry Ric into his own bedroom? Move himself? Stay in here and sleep in the same bed? Yeah, let's do that.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't disappointed by the fact that in the middle of a very important conversation his would-be lover passed out and therefore didn't have the chance to return his declarations, but no matter. They had the rest of their lives. Hopefully the rest of eternity if Ric would let Damon turn him into a vampire as he planned. Now that he knew his feelings weren't unrequited Damon was willing to wait until morning to discuss things and hopefully establish some form of relationship that went beyond friendship.

It all seemed rather unreal though. When Stefan first told him his reaction had been one of anger. Of course his brother was trying to trick him, make a fool of him or something. And he wasn't falling for it. But the possibility was so appealing and as Stefan explained further and promised this was no joke, the happiness and relief he had felt had been overpowering.

His suspicions were only confirmed after the closet incident. Ric felt the same way. Praise the heavens for that.

But now here he was passed out. Was it from shock? Was he drunk? Happiness? Horror? Hopefully he was just exhausted and so thrilled by Damon's words that he shut down.

Laying Ric carefully on the bed he removed his shirt, knowing he liked to sleep without it, acknowledging it was a little creepy, but hey, he was only trying to make the man comfortable!

He then stripped to his boxers, his preferred sleeping method. It would be too weird even for him to take off Ric's pants so he just left him in the jeans he was wearing earlier, climbing into bed after him, keeping their bodies separated and not touching. He would not molest Ric while he was unconscious.

Oh fuck it. He rolled over and pulled Ric into his body, spooning him from behind, tracing little patterns on his skin. He could only guess as to what was going to happen in the morning.

….

_Present_

"You probably don't want to know anymore. It wasn't important. I'll just… get in the shower." Damon muttered, cheeks flushed a deep red. Somewhere in the midst of things his confidence had deserted him. What if Stefan had lied? It was entirely possible. It's not like their relationship had a perfect track record and his little brother had always messed up his love life before with both Katherine and Elena. Why not now with Ric?

He started backing toward the door, needing to think through how he was going to evade Ric's questions. This was not how things were supposed to go. Shit, shit, shit!

"Don't you dare leave. Why were you in bed with me? And what the hell did you confess last night?" Ric demanded, stepping forward. And judging by the look on his face he was somewhat angry. Not a good sign.

"Umm… it really isn't that important. You look like you need some more rest so just go back to bed and I'll tell you later." Damon replied, edging back further. Damn that was a lame excuse.

"Actually I was wondering why you were with me in bed in the first place. And I think you were… cuddling me?"

"Oh, yeah, that. Mistake. Thought you were someone else. Sorry to creep you out or anything." He laughed uneasily, slipping out the door before Ric could say anything else.

Perfect. Just perfect. He would have to face his best friend at some point, and now he had to decide whether to tell the truth or make up some stupid excuse that was quite obviously a lie. Because there was really no way to plausibly explain what had happened back in that bedroom except that he had done it all intentionally because he liked Ric as more than just a friend and wanted to devour his lips every time they locked eyes. Or whenever they were in the same room, for that matter.

Sighing, Damon stepped into the scalding water. There was always something about a warm shower that soothed his nerves and helped him think clearly, which was exactly what he needed right now.

On one hand, Ric must already suspect, if not know, why Damon had been in his bed, cuddling and kissing him. It was pretty obvious. And there was always the possibility that Stefan was telling the truth, for Ric _had_ kissed him back last night and seemed particularly into their make-out session, engaging just as much as he was. In fact, last night Damon had felt pretty sure that Ric returned his feelings and hadn't questioned it all too much. The signs seemed to all be there.

But on the other hand, his reaction to Damon being in his bed this morning didn't seem to be one of contentment or pleasure. Which was concerning. And there was also the fact that Damon had used all his confidence last night and now felt unsure of himself, thinking once again that there was no way Ric could love him in that way. Things never worked out for him, his love was always unrequited. It would be too outlandish for the right person to actually return his feelings. Nearly impossible.

It seemed he pondered over these things for hours, hesitant to leave the safety of the scalding water that was starting to turn cold, for once that occurred he would have to talk to Ric. And he didn't want to.

Reluctantly he turned the knob to stop the flow of water and stepped out of the shower, drying himself off with a towel that he proceeded to wrap around his waist, hair floppy and dripping. He stared at his face in the mirror, beautiful as ever.

Yes, he knew of his own beauty, but it was nothing compared to Ric's, which was completely pure and easy. As a vampire, his looks were striking, almost unnaturally so, the kind that made people stop and stare but also frightened them, made them keep their distance. Something just wasn't right.

Ric had the perfect warm blue eyes, not icy like Damon's, but wonderfully inviting, impossible to look away from, and the floppy brown hair that was casual and fit his face, not so startling as the inky black of Damon's head. His lips were so damn kissable, soft and full, forming a true smile that lit up his entire face so very unlike the cold smirk that dominated his own countenance.

Shaking his head slightly Damon turned away from the mirror, opening the door and heading back to his bedroom that was thankfully empty.

Well, he thought it was empty until the door swung closed behind him to reveal none other than Alaric himself, arms folded and face twisted in a cute little scowl. How does one manage to make a scowl look cute anyway?

"I think you owe me some sort of explanation." He started, stepping toward Damon almost predatorily, which was quite ironic considering the only true predator in the room was Damon himself. Oh well, two could play at that game.

"What exactly do you want me to explain?" He asked, mimicking Ric's step forward, teasing smirk firmly in place, eyes flashing a shade darker than normal.

"Come on, you know what!" Ric said, exasperated.

"I don't think I do." Damon replied, crossing his own arms, giving an innocent smile and shoulder shrug.

"I woke up and you were in my bed for god's sake! That's what."

"Yeah, you passed out! I couldn't leave you alone in there and I sure as hell wasn't sleeping on the floor. I thought we were friends and you wouldn't mind being in the same bed as me but I guess I was wrong. So sorry." Damon shot back with an eye roll, saying it as if it was the obvious conclusion Ric should have come to on his own.

"You weren't just in the same bed as me, you were hugging and cuddling. And how did I lose my shirt? And why were you only in boxers?" Ric accused, taking another step forward.

"I always hug something in my sleep! Sorry if in unconsciousness I can't exactly choose what that object is. As for your absence of a shirt, I took it off because I know that's how you sleep and thought you'd be more comfortable that way. I like to sleep in boxers. I don't understand why this is so weird for you." Damon lied smoothly, keeping a straight face and all. On the inside he was trembling, however, afraid his words were transparent and Ric could see right through him, knowing exactly how he truly felt.

"Fine then. But how can you explain the fact that you kissed me, hmm? You kissed my shoulder."

"I'm not sure what you're trying to get at here. And I didn't kiss you." Damon stated firmly, realizing that they were now dangerously close, only a few feet separating them.

"Yeah, you did." Ric shot back, growing more and more infuriated.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Like this?" Damon impulsively leaned in and pressed their lips together, not having to move much considering they were already so close, unable to resist the electricity sparking due to their proximity. Finally he was able to taste the silkiness of Ric's mouth again, tongue sweeping sweetly over his lower lip, hands reaching up to gently cup his chin as he began to respond, apparently overcoming the initial shock. A low moan echoed in his throat as Damon bit lightly while pulling away, dragging Ric's lip along with him until it snapped back into place. Shit, that had not been part of the plan.

They just stared at each other for a moment, eyes locked in awe and regret, until Ric broke the silence, taking a deep breath and shaking his head.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded, though it came out a little weak and breathy, voice shaking ever so slightly.

"That was… all your fault!" Damon cried accusingly, pointing a slender finger in Ric's direction, whose expression had turned from shock to complete and utter confusion.

"My fault? You kissed me. What did I do?"

"You're so… so… so damn kissable! Jesus, your lips are, like, perfect! And you kissed me back." Damon answered, looking rather distressed.

"_I'm_ kissable? Don't try to pin this on me! Look at you, your hair is glistening with these perfect drops of water and all you have on is a towel for crying out loud! And you blame me for kissing back?"

"Well, sorry for cuddling you in bed and kissing you today and last night! Your skin is really soft and your lips are really silky and you just look really hot all the time so it's technically your fault."

"You kissed me last night? Damn, that dream was true! And news flash: you are the definition of hot. Damon, you don't know how hard I have to work not to just jump your bones every time I see you. Your fault definitely."

"Just fucking kiss me already."

And he did. Ric grabbed the sides of Damon's face and pulled him down until their lips met with crushing force, moving in that perfect synchronization. Damon was the first to shove his tongue in Ric's mouth, all the while wondering how the hell this had all come about in the first place but not really caring, battling for dominance and ultimately winning as he backed Ric against the nearest wall, supporting his arched back with one arm while the other was pulling at his hair, tilting his head back in order to deepen the kiss.

Well, at least Stefan hadn't been lying, he thought as he felt Ric's breath hitch when he moved his lips down his neck, sucking and nipping until he found that certain spot that made his friend's (were they still 'friends'?) knees go weak and a small whimpering sound escape from his mouth as he gasped. The erection pressing against his leg was pretty obvious as well and feeling this only served to heighten his own. Jesus Christ this was good.

"See? You're too damn sexy for your own good." Damon whispered in Ric's ear as he rubbed his knee between the man's legs, nipping at the lobe, earning a nice moan.

"Yeah. Whatever you say." Ric replied, bringing Damon's head back around to reconnect their lips, pushing their bodies even closer together.

Damon smiled against Ric's mouth, pressing small butterfly kisses around the edges, afraid to continue for fear he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking things further and he didn't really want to do that right now. So he stopped, tearing his lips from Ric's, resting their foreheads together, both of them panting and gazing into each other's eyes.

And at this moment he finally realized he had won. For once, his feelings were actually returned. For once, someone loved him too.

"So… breakfast?"


End file.
